Coffee-Stained Ticket

Folded corner cracked,

stiff paper soft beneath thumb,

faded museum ticket—

coffee smeared and fingerprinted.

I hold this shard, sharp-edged,

a relic pressed between

past laughter and quiet fights,

etched with shadows of what broke.

Years tucked in a wallet,

a trace of us still clinging

like dust that won’t settle

or disappear.

I keep it folded,

a small burn in my palm,

a place where time paused,

then let go.