Leave the missing shingle.
It witnessed bare feet climbing
to smoke a bowl before bed–
a secret no one ever knew.
.

Leave the pothole, 
              because why fix what everyone avoids?

Leave the dead cockroach in the basement
because it remembers the day you were born.

Leave the hole in the screen
because the memories want to flow through.

        Leave the ball under the couch,
never found because it doesn’t want to be.

Leave the dent on the bumper of your car,
because it remembers the neighbor making a drunken mistake.

Leave the dust bunnies in the corner,
because they look without regret,
content in their well-being.

Leave the broken sink faucet spraying the juices of acceptance.

Leave the patch of dead grass,
because it remembers burnt jeans–
an antidote to adolescent boredom.

Leave the splattered wine stains on the kitchen ceiling.
Never clean them up.
Never wipe away the memories.

Leave the tag with addresses from decades ago,
because it remembers visiting him for Christmas.

Leave the heart emoji by his name.

Leave the missed voicemails.

Listen to them,

because he can no longer call.

Remember,

because forgetting

always hurts.

.

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Victoria Brennan Fowler graduated from the University of Louisville with an M.A. in English. She enjoys writing free verse poetry to reflect on the relatability human emotions and experiences.