The Day I Washed the Sheets

I washed the sheets one ordinary day,

And watched the blue soap gather into foam;

The smell of you went quietly away,

The room was still the room I called my home.

I thought I'd hear a thunderclap inside,

Or feel the whole old history come undone;

Instead the towels rocked from side to side

And dried beneath the ordinary sun.

The first day I forgot to check my phone,

I felt a tiny stab of something like shame;

As though I'd made a vow to grieve alone,

And every happy hour betrayed your name.

I'll put the clean sheets on the bed tonight

And let the evening settle where it may;

I'll miss you still, and that can be all right,

Without a single word to make you stay.