Chewing Old Memories

I peeled it loose, a sticky lump

pressed beneath cracked plastic,

smell faded like cheap cherry syrup.

Teeth sank in—sweet, then bitter,

a flavor that twisted like the city streets,

rough and familiar.

Bubbles burst in sticky pops,

the way laughter spills

at the wrong moment.

That gum held onto yesterday—

stuck tight to the bus floor,

a clumsy, clinging past I forgot to spit out.