My Pretend Girlfriend Died Today

 

My Pretend Girlfriend Died Today

My pretend “girlfriend” died today.

I never thought she would.

Her songs were simple enough to hum without thinking,

yet somehow they reached places in me

Without names.

Deep places.

Secret places.

I am nearly her age now,

but in my mind she was untouched by time...

that big blonde hair, that easy smile,

a face I could recognize even in my sleep.

Another loss added to the quiet pile

I keep tucked safely in my mind.

Another reminder that the good ones

seem to leave early,

while the hateful ones

cling on like dust.

I found a picture of a friend today

who went to heaven years ago.

No real connection to Dolly, I guess,

except in the way grief likes to braid itself

through unrelated moments,

tying them together

until they feel like one long rope

I’ve been carrying all my life.

And tonight, I’m holding that rope again,

thinking of a Star who sang the world softer,

and a friend whose laugh I can still hear,

and the strange way memories arrive

in pairs

when the heart is already broken.