I tried to imagine the phrases only you would say
but could only hear them falling
from someone else’s lips

I tried to imagine the stories you would tell me
but your laugh shattered
under the weight of this grief

I remember the words you would say
but I don’t remember the voice
that said them

I remember you would call me sugar
but I can’t remember exactly how
the r melted when it met the air

I remember how you’d tell me baby the lord is always watchin
but I am forgetting how your accent cocooned
the warning around my ears

It’s strange how I cannot remember your voice
but if I heard it I would immediately know
it was you