the cold blue sleeve of streams

I remember finding

a letter that she wrote to her married boyfriend.
telling him

how much she still loved him,
missed him.

wishing that she could tell the world
about her love
for him.

she drew little hearts around the words.
colored them pink.

then posted it on a tree
where he had left the same for her.

I remember looking at the ring on my finger
and pulling it off

and flattening it with a hammer
on the street.

flat and silver. a thousand dollars,
maybe more.

I remember sailing it like a stone
across the water of the broad

creek..
watching it sink into the cold blue
sleeve

of dreams.

no more.