Frequent Use

On the pale blue bathroom tiles,
A frequent use shampoo is orange
And frequently used like the sponge;
So functional,
This frequent use shampoo,
So orange on the blue.

To me
It almost holds the essence of you.

To me it means so much –
If I smell it,
It reminds me of how we used to touch
Each other;
Of how we used to shower together;
Of catching a whiff of it
On the weather’s breeze;
It reminds me of how you used to sneeze
Over and
Over and
Over;
It reminds me of your dungarees
That you wore when we were
Doing our degrees.

We were married then:
Strange to think we were so close
In many ways,
But separated by the closeness
Of the days.
I knew your nightly routine
Like the back of my hand –
But the things that I should’ve understood,
I didn’t understand.

The smell of the shampoo
Locks the memories tight and clear.
All I have to do is buy a bottle
Whenever I want you
To appear.