Lamenting the death of my partner, now 5 years alone.

Over this time I’ve come to pick up their old habits and routines.

Sitting crisscrossed in their dining chair as they always have.

Saying farewell to the sun as it sets in the evening as they always have.

I exhibit their facial expressions.

I project their tone.

Wearing their clothes, reading their favorite stories. I’ve inhabited their scent, their thoughts.

They’re not gone, for I am them.