The trail you leave behind
in the kitchen
tells me
you want to be found,
not yet lost, but
still searching
I consider
my future with you
a morning ritual of baguette crumbs
from our favorite shop
scattered on the counter and floor
crunching under my feet
I wait in line
to buy the last loaf
standing tall in its bread basket
fresh in the early morning
still warm from the oven
the way you like it
I know there will be crumbs
and the trail that remains
after your midnight feast
of peanut butter and honey
on a toasted slice
yet I buy the baguette anyway
I carry my own crumbs
remnants of a life before you
a different time, different goals
hope, fear, love, disappointment
greatest joy and deepest sadness
challenges that we both faced
I didn’t know I was searching for you
we were both lost
in our thoughts, in our grief
As life proceeded with little consequence
as though everything was normal
So we normalized life
Together
I stand here for you
knowing that a life
of eloquent words
and a trail of bread crumbs
left behind in the morning
has captured my heart
Victoria Emmons, ©2019