Love Is a Smoker’s Dingy Yellow Lamp

I stared 

in silence,

wondering 

how all the 

dust and grime

gathered

unwanted

on top of 

something

that was once

so fresh 

and new

The remnants

of excitement

now dimmed

beneath

years of 

toil and 

disappointments

and I had 

no idea

how to 

even begin

to remove

the stains

Written April 10, 2020