i remember the trees being taller than they should’ve been

or maybe we were just smaller

you said if we kept walking we’d find something

not like a destination
just something different than where we started

there were cans in your backpack
half melted

blue and red sugar stuck to the inside

we sat on the same rock every time

like it mattered
like the forest would notice if we didn’t

i think that’s where i learned
that places can remember you

even if you don’t come back

i tried to go again
a while later

everything looked the same
but it wasn’t

the path felt shorter
the trees felt quieter

like they already knew i came alone

i kept expecting to hear you
like you were just ahead

i think that’s the worst part

not that you’re gone