Nighttime Villanelle

(Read more about the villanelle here.)

Nighttime Villanelle
(for Gareth)

I found the key- the one to your old place
deep inside my warmest winter wear
my fingers marked its shape with gentle trace

a curious surprise this odd embrace
of fumbling fingers and cold metal bare
I found the key-the one to your old place

transported now with mind through time and space
to sorting what was yours with mournful care
my fingers marked each shape with gentle trace

your dirty clothes, a meal you ate in haste,
a still life of the proof that you were there
I found the key-the one to your old place

the bathroom mirror ghost shapes of your face
and on your sink a single piece of hair
my fingers marked its shape with gentle trace

the key a talisman, a mark of grace
unlocking tangled thoughts and words of prayer
I found the key- the one to your old place
my fingers marked its shape with gentle trace

Bridget Maret
14 November, 2014