Seeing ghosts at five in the morning

Souvenirs from past relationships currently in my possession:

One Marist College Crew team sweatshirt, grey

One bag of seashells, collected in Florida

Two paintings from a three-painting set, one depicting a cow and one depicting a snail. The one depicting a skull was taken back.

Three songs written for and about me by two musicians; one sweet, one sexual, one psychotic

One patriotic top-hat, shiny

Three dozen nude photos of myself, some arty, some dirty

One book on the secret imaginary girl all men hold out for, hardcover

One pair of Adidas flip-flops, men's size 8

One Marist College Italian-American Society baseball cap, white

Herpes

One bottle of strawberry-flavored lubricant, too sticky for regular use

(Just kidding about the herpes)

Three men's socks, two black, one white, all without partners

One bouquet of roses, dried and hanging from my curtain rod

(Really, now that I'm taking Valtrex, I haven't had an outbreak in like forever)

Two chess sets, one for travel, one for home

One photo album containing pictures from a road trip to Memphis, with captions

One framed poster for Radio City Music Hall's New York Art Deco Exposition, January 30 through February 3, year unknown

(Well, one outbreak but it really wasn't that bad. I doubt it was enough to infect anyone)

One 20 page handwritten letter, front and back

One ticket from Shea Stadium, 1994

One photo that still horrifies me, 15 years later

Nine bad poems about one boy, three good poems about another

One quote recorded in the minutes of a weekly club meeting, also attended by Irene from the Real World Seattle.

(Common side effects for Valtrex may include headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and dizziness. To avoid a potentially serious complication, tell your doctor if your immune system is not normal because of advanced HIV disease, bone marrow or kidney transplant.)