To My 2002 Homecoming Corsage (in tribute to what would have been one year today)

[starrdust84]

You sit on my dresser amid various junk and clutter carelessly strewn around you begging for a day to be moved to a less prominent location. But I like you there. Your hard and shriveled pink flowers tell of the days when you were new and soft. Sprayed with silver glitter your green leaves have retained their vibrant glow thanks to a month in the refrigerator. Your silver ribbons tied in numerous bows remind me of an itchy wrist. The silver decals that adorn you only add to your beauty no matter how many times they got caught on my hand. You were part of a set. A pair. A couple. Together you both looked new and youthful. You were a trophy I carried around to tell all who I was with that night. I never told you how much I loved you. Your smooth pink petals mirrored my cheeks dusted with rose blush and topped with a delicate coating of powder. You held onto me tightly, never letting me forget your presence. But then I took you off and set you down. For your own protection I set you amid shawls, purses, and cell phones. All so you'd be safe. And eventually your other half joined you too. We were each with the other half of ourselves. While I danced away in the other room, you recorded and captured all the memories. The look he had when I first stepped out of the car, the deodorant I left on his jacket and carefully tried to remove, the kiss picture we took with two golf caddies near by watching. We drove away and you remembered the chicken being cooked on the candles, the oversized napkins that were actually beach towels, the frisbee game in the backyard, and the last minute check in the bathroom. You smell of Tommy Girl, the perfume I forgot to wear until a special delivery before dinner occurred. Your sharp leaves pricked my skin like the memories of that night. You followed me while I tried to find a group to dance with for far too long. Eventually you saw me let loose and begin to dance alone. But he took me in his arms and we danced together. Danced together the whole night. The opposite of a mistake I had a made a year ago. And it felt so good just being there with no worries. And you captured every memory. The smell of his cologne, the way he had his sleeves rolled up and his collar buttons undone, the was I wore his tie when he took it off so we wouldn't have to stop dancing. The way I felt when we slow danced and kissed. How good it felt to be secure in his arms and know what was real. The sadness I felt and the tears I cried during the last dance before he told me he'd always be there for me and he was here now and not to worry. You show it all from beginning to end. Going to a friends and resting before coming home. The coldness outside and the warmth in his arms under the blanket. The inner peace I felt and the connection he and I had. We didn't speak of it, we just knew it was there like you knew it was there.

I still wear you sometimes. You catch my eye under a paper on my crowded dresser. I slip your white elastic band onto my wrist and smile at the tightness. Still the same. I stand there for awhile, just savoring the night. Savoring the memories you collected and held for me. Savoring the time I had with him.

But soon reality catches up to me and I slide you off my wrist. I set you back down on a heap of sales receipts next to some movie stubs. And I go on with my life until you catch my eye again.