I heart you, You haunt me(ON HOLD)

The Boy

Another procession.

This time,
a line of cars
driving
to the cemetery.

Mom calls Dad
on her cell.

He's on a business trip in Paris.
He offered to come home.
I told him it'd be okay.
I have mom, and besides,
what could he do?

I hear mom say,

"Beautiful service. . ."

"She's hanging in there. . . ."

"Wish you could be here. . . ."

"Wanna talk to Ava?"

I shake my head
and wave my hand
to tell her no.

There's nothing to say
that she hasn't said already.

"I guess she's tired right now. . . ."

I make myself
drift back
to a happier time.

Justin came to our school
in the fall
from a different town.

He was the boy
with the nice hair
and the tattoos.

He looked old
for a junior.

The four of us,
Cali, Jessa, Zoe, and me,
talked about him
at lunch,
eating tacos,
Cali's favorite food.

"Maybe he's in a gang," Jessa said.

"That's terrible," Cali said.

"Maybe he thinks tattoos are sexy," Zoe said

"On him," I said, "they are."