A Wigwam for a Goose's Bridle

remember when his absence
caused the heart to shatter
rather than grow fonder? it was not
his absence (i didn’t know)
rather his absence was a sign
a symptom of the underlying pathology
i missed him – not because he was water and i 
the parched plant in desert sun – because he had convinced me
my structure would collapse without his scaffolding.