i awoke with her at the foot
of the bed in her lingerie,
staring at me, and i left
without a noun, verb,
preposition, or adjective;
i left without a word

(we both knew it was wrong)

later, i found a half-melted
violet crayon in my pocket,
given to me by her daughter: Violet

(the one whom she thinks can go on without her)

as much as she tried to steal
my air, it was the flora that
took my breath away—

the vines, the lilacs,
and their lavender shadows…

they gave me no choice;
i had to nip it in the bud.