Little Mementos

The little mementos you left behind – bits of pencils which I gave you and you broke into little pieces and threw around the room, the mallets you tossed on the floor before you left class, the tissue you used and stuffed under your chair

Illustrate my failure.

I used to love.

Love my work. Love my students. Love my days.

I know I should love you

Staring back at me in apathetic indifference

Resisting insolently

Resisting insistently. Daring me to drag some glimmer of interest

From whatever defense you have constructed.

But

What if I can’t