Gia Raquel

I see a soft boy with memories falling from his mouth

Like the eyelashes he has wished upon for the past 7 years.

Loose silver hugs his finger

While I forgot the colors of his irises

He smiles in a way

That reminds me of someone I once knew

And that’s terrifying

It’s terrifying seeing someone you can recognize

Because you wonder,

How did they know about that laugh?

That memory?

That mannerism?

How did they know I would catch my breath at the surprise of hearing his voice

Only to find that it is someone new entirely?

Maybe I have known him for years

With no recollection of his features

For it seems odd to dream the same dream

When my unconscious mind has been blank for the past 3 months.

What a surprise indeed,

To see him standing here

With a ceiling covered in charcoal,

A motel’s neon sign hugging the curve of his nose, shadows of his cheeks

Like a ghost abandoning his house

In search of his home.