left behind

like the hockey jerseys
and books
long forgotten
in your parents’ basement

collecting dust

a relic
of a past life
a memory
a stepping stone

onto bigger
better
newer

me, not so much

same old
same old
same old

i know i’ve
begun to fade
from colour to grey to

a vague memory

once in a while
tugging your
lips into a smile

finally,
whatever
happened to that girl?

you know the one
I
left behind

poor thing

she stayed there
and never

moved
on

cul-de-sac

the houses themselves
remain
virtually unchanged

progress
seemingly kept at bay
for now

at first glance
there’s a semblance
of suburban normalcy

look closer

if
you were to stand

with your nose
pressed against the window
of the blue house
on the end

your feet among the rhododendrons

thriving
despite bad weather
of late

you’d see

the same
cannot be said
of those inside

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