You gave me this zebra card
Made a joke about “ze-bra”
Said “Love Forever”
I mean, I was almost 16, so of course I believed you

It’s hard to let go,
harder than I think it should be
But, I’m trying

I always wondered what to do about that box in the basement
full of cards and love letters
bra jokes and stupid drawings
I never want our children to see

Maybe if I let go
of one memory at a time
It will be less trying

This one was tricky
I thought the eyes would be the problem
But it took awhile for the fire to take hold
on the “Love Forever”

It’s hard to burn stuff,
harder than I think it should be
But I’m trying

Next time when I reach into the box
I’ll feel around for fast-burning paper
and hope that one of the old jokes
might make me laugh