Beside It

i don’t need you

to wake

to eat

to laugh

to move through my days

‎

i am whole

even when my chest aches

and my hands reach for something

you are not

‎

sometimes

it’s a song you’d dance to

a snack you’d laugh at

a corner of the world

that reminds me of you

‎

and my first thought

isn’t pain

isn’t longing

‎

it’s just

‎

you would have liked this

‎

not because i am missing

not because i am broken

‎

but because

loving someone

doesn’t end

just because they aren’t there

‎

and i am still here

still myself

still breathing

still letting a little space

exist

beside it