Her Breath in Her Apartment

The first time in her apartment
After her death,
I could still smell her perfume
And feel her breath.

I had returned for a photograph
Of the two of us
Taken at the amusement park
After a day of lingering in her arms.

For me, love and joy
Have always been comparatively brief
Beside the loneliness and grief
That have navigated most of my existence.