Out of Sight Out of Mind

Today was your first day of school, right?
I was just thinking about which outfit you would choose to wear...
(Don't ask me why, these are the things my mind drifts to when it's not otherwise occupied...)
That, in turn,
Made me think of my Nike shirt,
Hanging in your closet (I wonder if it's still in your rotation...?)
(Of course, far too casual for a young woman
On her first day of college.)
If you're wondering, your tee is tucked into
A shoebox
Along with everything else having to do with you
(The ring, poems, notes, tick-tack-toe, glowsticks, your letters to me, the polaroid camera, you "java-jacket" from Starbucks', the letter you were meant to read on the plane, the pen your sister bought me, etc)
To keep it company.
You see,
They were all whispering your name,
So I put them "in a box, beneath my bed",
To muffle the sound.
Don't worry, they are not simply ignored (though it might be easier to do so);
I lay them all out sometimes
Over my bed,
And let all the pretty stories and memories
Wash over me.
I re-read your expert poetry
Which convinces me again that at one point
What you felt for me was affection.
I unfold the shirt
And run my fingers through the fabric,
As if it were the first time.
But then, after a bit,
I let reality set back in and
Pack it all back up
Into its manageable container.
I replace it, back to its rightful spot,
Out of sight
(But not out of sound.)