Kill Your Darlings

Does anyone truly kill them?
The loved ones, that linger,
Long after we delete their
Numbers; erase their pictures,
Re-jig the narrative to remove
Their characters; smooth over
The cracks with gloss.

We are not murderers on the whole,
And they are not usually criminals.

They pop up: unknown
Numbers calling, you answering
Unwittingly; tapping you on the
Shoulder when you thought you
Were safe, out of reach; sending
Messages, writing poems, the
Shock of it each time electrifying
And what to do with the charge?

Hello darlings! I know you – you
Won’t do what I want, won’t
Come in, sit down, have a cup of
Tea, tell me you love me, you miss
Me, go into your boxes nicely, but
Only to jump out and make me jump
Again with that jolt that doesn’t kill
Either of us, far from it.

And if you die, I will cry, just as I do
Now.