cheese fries

we act as if our past can be forgotten-

as if we can just cast our memories like stones-

as long as they're thrown into the sea

the crashing waves will erase our history

but does our past really ever leave us alone?

there will always be scars beneath our broken bones

our past is here,

our past is there

our past is everywhere

we're engulfed by old memories-

transparent ghosts

hiding in our cupboards

sneaking into the pockets of our coats

my mother once told me

whenever she eats cheese fries

she always remembers her proposal date

the day he asked for her hand in marriage-

she remembers

because that's what they ate

i wonder what she thinks

when people sip their drinks from fancy china

and speak of north carolina

where he broke their unbreakable vow-

two words can slash open a dam of memories somehow

maybe she cries

maybe she dies a little inside

but all i really know is

she loves cheese fries