Blue Plastic Ring

You won it from a machine

Outside that little arcade

Held it up like something expensive

Then slipped it on my hand

I said,"That's not even my size"

You said,"Then don't lose it"

I wore it home anyway

Just to make you laugh

It cost almost nothing

Maybe that's why

I never thought

I'd still have it

Blue plastic ring

Still in the top drawer

Too small for my finger

Too stupid to throw away

You never made a promise

I never thought you had

Blue plastic ring

From when love

Wasn't asking much of us

I found it months later

Looking for a spare key

For a second

I couldn't remember

Where we'd gotten it

Then I did

You standing by that machine

Shaking the little plastic ball

Because it wouldn't open

I remembered your face

Before I remembered mine

That's what got me

Not the ring

How easy

We looked back then

Blue plastic ring

Still in the top drawer

Too small for my finger

Too stupid to throw away

You never made a promise

I never thought you had

Blue plastic ring

From when love

Wasn't asking much of us

I tried it on last night

It still doesn't fit

I laughed at that

More than I expected

Then took it off

And held it in my palm

Nothing happened

No sudden wish

To call you

I just remembered

Being happy before

We started being careful

Maybe that's what I kept

Not you

Not some future

We were supposed to have

Just one cheap afternoon

When neither of us

Was trying to make this last

You gave me a plastic ring

I believed

Exactly what it was

Blue plastic ring

Still in the top drawer

Too small for my finger

Still hard to throw away

I don't miss the promise

There never was one then

I miss how easy love was

Before we learned

To be afraid of it

Blue plastic ring

From when love

Wasn't asking much of us

I put it back

Not on my hand

In the drawer