your brother texted me today.

first time since you left
back in february.

funny thing was,

the first thing i thought about
wasn't my best friend’s dead.

it was those damn three dots.

you remember.

the whole evening gone
while your brother assembled
a single text message.

we'd laugh about it

like there was all the time
in the world.

when the message came through,
i wanted to write:

looks like your brother
finally hit send.

but there are some jokes
with nowhere left to go.

the phone still sits there.

your number still exists.

our last conversation
is there.

only you aren’t.

i used to think
time moved in circles.

the seasons taught me that.

trees losing leaves,
getting them back.

snow melting.

flowers showing up again.

but people aren't trees.

nobody blooms twice.

the future just keeps arriving,

one day after another.

the dead
keep getting farther away,

and i've one less friend
in my cirlce.