The Hole In My Sweater

I stare through the hole you burnt in my sweater
Now a peep hole, a time warp- into a night a few years ago

A lick- chased with a lime
Free spirits dancing in the colored lights
Watching you-
Breathless in the dark
Chain linked fingers dangle about the crowd
Deep eyes to dive into
Strangers
A four-block walk
Catching and netting
Jarring up fast swimming rebound kisses

I have forty other sweaters,
but refuse to part from this one

Worn, abused, burnt
It hangs in my closet for safekeeping’s
Like an old photo
A note in a box full of memories
I wear it occasionally
When I do, I roll up the hole into a cuff in my sleeve
If they saw it I could no longer mean anything to me
Alone I unroll it,
Gazing through my little peep hole-
Dreaming, remembering, rearranging