tube of toothpaste

i bought you a tube of

Tom’s of Maine all natural toothpaste,

wintergreen,

to welcome you to my bathroom,

to brush your teeth

on those mornings

you’d wake up next to me.

i bought you that tube of

$4.95 toothpaste

so you wouldn’t have to settle

for my cheap Costco toothpaste,

squeezed from the center,

missing its twist-off cap,

leaking mangled globs

of stale sea green gel.

i bought you that tube of toothpaste

so i could buy us

another tube after that

and another

after that

and another after

that...

but your tube of toothpaste

still sits on the corner of my sink,

tightly rolled up,

secured with its turquoise twist-off cap,

¼ full,

untouched by your hands

and mine...

for weeks.