nothing worse

we once laughed at an old joke
i held onto the memory
by a thread of the thought
we once shared

time passes and people move on
the old joke brings a slight
smile
but not the same response

i know time has passed
you forget what we once shared
though i still hang onto
the memory by a thread

nothing worse
than the rug of our memories
falling apart into threads and strands
until i'm left holding onto one end
of the string that bound us together

death of the joke
and we forget
as the paths of our memories diverge
you traveling far beyond the scope
of where i can go
and i'm left holding onto
the strings of what we once shared