Ana Božičević
Watermark
Some days you seem to disappear,
You’re thinner, like foam
A faded stamp on the memory
But then I realize
You’re actually reality’s watermark
Your essence is stamped on every surface
And whatever I turn to is stamped
Of my failure
To be with you and to keep you here
The branches form
Your face and the leaves
Stand in for your lips
But the presence of yours that is
Stamped on everything is full of an absence
And the earth is stranger
And less mine
Ana Božičević grew up in Zadar, Croatia before coming to New York. Ana is a poet, translator, teacher, and occasional singer. She is the author of Povratak lišća / Return of the Fallen Leaves, Joy of Missing Out, Rise in the Fall, Stars of the Night Commute, and New Life.Some days you seem to disappear,
You’re thinner, like foam
A faded stamp on the memory
But then I realize
You’re actually reality’s watermark
Your essence is stamped on every surface
And whatever I turn to is stamped
Of my failure
To be with you and to keep you here
The branches form
Your face and the leaves
Stand in for your lips
But the presence of yours that is
Stamped on everything is full of an absence
And the earth is stranger
And less mine