Tag

i didn't mean to play tag.
well,
actually,
maybe i did

but i didn't realize what it meant
back then
i was only eight years old
and she left

my grief was short-lived
my tears quickly dry
as my family
drew into themselves

or at least
what was left of them.

and now
when i look back
i remember that day
as they put her away

and wondered
why i never missed
her touch
her perfume
her smile
her voice

or maybe it's because
i don't really remember.

I only remember
the memories
of the memories

and back then
when we played
at her funeral
i hadn't realized what it meant.