keep it

Erin

I lost your grey sweater,
the one you gave me to wear
when you saw that I was cold:
bare arms, shivering,
and me, never planning ahead.

I liked the way I looked in it.
I hoped that you liked
the way I looked in it.
I liked wearing it
and thinking about how
you had looked
when you had worn it.

when you told me,
"keep it",
I shouldn't have,
but I took it to be
a promise.

it was comfortable.
I liked the cliche: the girl
wearing her boyfriend's
sweater to sleep.
did it smell like you?
if it did, I didn't notice.

I slept in it twice: once,
in your bed, curled up
beside you, and
the second time,
small and alone
in my own bed.

two days later, I lost it.
I don't know
how I could have lost it
so quickly.
four days later,
I lost you

I don't know how I could have