If I simply soften and fade
will an imprint of me remain,
collecting tolls or delivering dinner
platters in perpetuity.
Will my neighbors say about me,
“she seemed nice, but we didn’t know her much.”
Will the sound of the television in the evenings continue
to emanate from my apartment windows,
and will the mail still be collected and sorted.
I wonder, will the words still appear like daily dew on paper—
a sign of my life.
Will friends still think to invite me to parties,
before remembering. There will be daylight, all the same.
caroline ridgway 