While I was cleaning up my contact list on my phone I came across several names of people that I was once close to. People that have passed beyond the vale into the dimness of history. I pause at each one, being carried backward into the memories of the times we shared. Some are happy some sad but all generate a feeling of loss and longing, a feeling that cannot be soothed.

My finger hovers above the delete button while all these stories play out in my mind. In the end, I can’t push the button, can’t erase the tiniest link to their existence. Maybe some day, but not today.

Her Name Stares Back

Her name stares back at me from the depths of the pale electronic glow.
What began as a simple exercise in housekeeping on my phone
Has come to an abrupt halt, now taking on a significance never intended
Powerless to break from the memories her name draws forth
The gentle ghost of her voice, calling my name from that time before,
the echo of her infectious laughter drawing tears from my remembrance.
The desire to speak to her, just one more time, grips my heart.
But there is no cure, no comfort for this longing, 
no letters to recall her words.
There are no photos to reconstruct a moment, No yellowed clipping
Marks the day of her passing or what small piece of this world
Might have given her rest. 
All that remains is what I carry in my heart
And this name staring back from the screen I hold.