Pieces

I tried to delete you
But every now and then
I see fragments of you
As if someone pressed ctrl z

I try to push delete again but instead find myself kneeling
Gently cradling those pieces like broken shells
Imagining what the whole looked like
Before the angry sea ground it into colored powder

Looking through the glassy waves
The tide ebbs revealing happy bodies entangled on the sand
Exalted I open my eyes, only to find
Pieces

Sifting your shards through my fingers
Fascinated by the tiny cuts and blood
Pink swirls
Spiraling through the calm warm tidal pool

Determinedly I dive through the shallowness
Slicing and rifling through the sand, feeling for something with substance
Elated I surface, gently hugging the large conch with my hands
It's not perfect

The once vibrant color has faded and the hungry waves have bitten tiny holes
Broken, even mended, never looks the same, never feels the same
Tiny fractures and discolorations overshadow the dazzle that once was
Spotlighting shiny imperfections and flaws

But... if I hold him tenderly
And the sunlight hits him in such a way
I am once again taken by his beauty
Beauty redefined

I no longer want to delete the imperfections in my life
They don't exist
Your smiling voice and laughing face remind me of this
The rest is just... pieces