SandScript 2023 [Digital Exclusive]

Postmortem Over Coffee
Gabriel Baez
Sentiment is all I can bring to you now–
The way she would say “I can’t
want this more than you”
like I knew what yearning was
like I knew what yearned
I still don’t remember,
picking through my rivers
long-fingered gray
like the sandhill crane
Looking
I can’t decide if I tried too hard or
not enough.
Now she smiles and tells me I wasn’t
ready then ready
As though retrospectives won’t sting
and memories aren't fire
cover them with dirt
and the flame will crawl no more
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