Like a Stone
I worried you down to
almost nothing
smooth betwixt my finger and thumb
you were for years
in pockets close to my skin
absorbing each little anxious
whisper
with stone patience
and then one day
strolling aside the lake
where we once rode bikes
picked mulberries
shared cacophonous laughter
I tossed you in
My other hand reached out
too slow to catch you
as you sailed fast through
crisp winter sky
and arced downward
into icy waters
slipping in
unnoticed
as if you never were.
