Don’t you
Ever wish you
Had an undo button?

You.
The Runaway.
To fill the footprints
Frozen in the crunch of fresh now.
A trail
And a path.

Size eight

Heeled boot.

Square toe.
To suck in the clouds
Of your breath left lingering
Over the heads of dogs
With their uniformed.
To embrace family and friends
As more than strangers
Squinting into the shadow
Straining to recognize
The jagged suffocation
As the steady breath
You practiced to a
Fooling perfection.

Or you.
The Innocent.
To erase the docility
In your smile
And your fluttering giggle
While you mindlessly doodled
Purple flowers in the margins
Which captivated
And enthralled him-
And deceived, deluded and duped him.
Cracking his heart
As purple flowers curlicued
To graphite hearts,
A different boy’s name smudged in the center,
Striking the cracks to shatter.

And you.
The Dealer.
To paint your front door
A neighborly welcome
Instead of rusting it
To a toxic
Only few will touch.
To sell those few
The painkiller of loved ones
And days of certainty.
To return your lost causes
And give them a chance to
Rewrite their stories
From a reckless teen who’s
Addiction
Is popularity and attention.
From a lost man who’s
Addiction
Is following the only
direction he’s snorted
Enough to trust.

Me.
The Deceased.
To be an angel
Of the snow
With a tinkling giggle
Protecting the heart
Of a man who’s
Addiction
Is leaving bouquets of roses at the door.
Instead of
Aching from wishing
To click the undo button;
My life appearing
Happily and peacefully written
Which I never should have
Deleted.