The fixers came to check my washer today
To find three socks sucked into the motor
Of our high-efficiency, energy-saving,
Gift to the world for only $2,599 Kenmore washer.
One of them was yours.
Centrifugal force. Funny how it never fails
To suck me back to you, matching up that one pair
Of black on black woolen argyle.
Holding one in my hand, my pinky slides through
A small hole, right where your toe might go
If those boxes didn’t stand in lonely stacks on tile:
Folded shirts, pressed, striped and checked.
They wait for you, a Hugo Boss greeting card like the life you left behind.
Neat, packed in boxes, like my memories.
Jennifer van Alstyne is editor-in-chief of The Monmouth Review. She is currently working on a collection of poetry based on the life and music of 20th century composer, Glenn Gould.
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