I have spent some fair amount of time
striving to drive you
from my mind.
I looked for where you hid
in the recesses of my memory
and did what I could
to expel you.

In some ways
I’ve done just fine.
I cleared out the space
you occupied on my walks down Riverside.
I no longer think of you
in relation to fondue
or melon.

I no longer want to remember
you see
all those days
that seemed so glorious.
Considering them now
is a painful exercise
I wish to exorcise from my life.

Of course
I am not in all ways successful.
In the increasing darkness
that surrounds you
in my head
I still can always see
Shining, beacon-bright
that Day-Glo makeup
and the random shapes you painted
upon yourself.

It burns into my head
these recollections of how
you dressed your face
to please no one but yourself
– and how pleasing it was
to all.

I wonder if you still wear your war paint
in peacetime
conquering all before you.
I’ll bet you do
though I can’t get proof
since I’ve forgotten your phone number.