i just found it

the other day,

still attached to a

belt loop

on an old

pair of jeans.

it was part of me

everyday for two weeks,

that simple

metal object,

it held on

to the things

that meant so

much to her

in life

and will mean

so much to her

daughter when she’s old

enough to appreciate them.

i tried to put

the jeans on,

leaving the safety

pin where i

found it.

one leg in.

but as i tried to

push my right leg

through the emptiness,

i stopped…

i pulled my left

leg out,

folded the jeans

up and placed

them back in

bottom of the drawer

where i’d found them.

not today,

i thought.