i entered a poetry contest

i entered this poetry contest
and had to write about us
moons ago
this would never have been
a chore
im grappling with words
and hunting sophisticated phrases
like
she is the sunrise in my day
or
without her i will never breath again
guess what
im still breathing

i entered this poetry contest
topic is loving her
i loved her
i remember her
grazing my thigh
that first time
my knees knocked underneath the table
she grabbed my hand
tilted her head and asked
"why are you so nervous?"
i thought i would
smile forever
guess what
i am not smiling

i entered a poetry contest
only to learn
without her
i have no
poetry