is so sentimental.
It’s a soft thing that hides like a burr in my dog’s paw.
Just a seed trying to find friendly soil.
Just a memory trying to survive.

You moved out of your clothes.
Vacated them. Left them for me to box up and send to Goodwill.
I pressed the cardboard box shut and one of us sighed. The air
Smelled like you after a long day.

And it’s been another long day without you.
My eyes are softening back to the sugary brown Mom loves. The color of yours in all the photos.
We look more alike when you can’t compare us side by side.
Time is rotting away the differences.

Nicole McCaffety is from Austin, Texas and received her B.A. in English Literature from Baylor University. She will be attending the University of South Carolina in Fall 2019 to pursue her M.F.A. in Creative Writing.