Brett Hursey

Splits

They broke up before she got
her birthday present–
the engraved bowling ball
he had sized for her fingers
like a wedding ring.

And although
she rarely recalls
the tender way
he used to wax
the lanes,

and how sensuously
he sprayed rental shoes,

she often dreams
of her aborted birthday present–

a perfectly sized,
cotton-candy-colored ball
bearing her name,

endlessly rolling
into the barren space
between 7-10 splits.