an ode to the ever after

its a sting that starts in the eyes and as you fight to hold it back it moves down through your nose. a painful sting. the kind of feeling you get when you think of someone far away. salty and familiar...

the kind of pain that comes about only when youve gotten used to the emptiness.
its a puncture wound to the soul. a cliched shot to the heart.

and as the tears well up in the corners of your eyes, the corners of your mind replay memories like an old 45 and you fight harder than ever to push them back down. and in that moment, you blink and 1-2-3, they quickly slide down your face, salty and familiar...