you sent me a photo you took

of a rose burning in a bonfire

i marvelled at how poetic it looked

against my untamed heart you and this moment seem to conspire

you told me about this day at the beach

where a sunset has set everything on fire

and marshmallows had to be roasted on roses

and their shadows danced like real lovers

i think about how we shared this memory

over the wires, so to speak

and then i think about

the people who lived this memory

with you on that beach

who probably made a better comment in accordance with the mood and the flow of your speech

i can’t hear you speak

or sing a song for those around you

i can’t have you know

i’ve been writing poems about you