A Ledger of Cans
by Jules
· 17/12/2025
Published 17/12/2025 17:08
Between page forty and the recipe for stew,
a scrap of yellowed paper fell to the floor.
Your handwriting, back when it was sharp,
before the drinking or the distance took the edge off.
You wanted heavy cream and gala apples.
You wrote 'parsley' with that aggressive,
looping 'y' that cut into the line below,
like you were trying to tie the words together.
I remember the dinner that never happened.
The cans of tomatoes are still in the back
of the pantry, expired and gathering dust,
waiting for a meal we both forgot how to cook.