what you are and what you are not

you are a reminder, not a mark on the calendar
you are an imprint, not a scar
you are a subject in photographs, not a jolt in the heart
and you are two years, not an anniversary

you are my rhetorical question that needs no answer

you are a tattoo, not a name preserved on paper 

you are a memory, not a ghost that lingers 

you are a character not a plot
you are a dash, not a full stop
you are a bracket in my equation
you are a culaccino, not a toast

you are a noun not the two words I'll utter

ivories against silk, breaths weighed with promises
and you are a lecture, not a lover

#NationalPoetryDay