Your laugh

I shut my eyes and imagine your laugh
You are close for a moment and the ache in my ribs goes away
I can’t quite hear it but it’s there
I know that if I reach my hand up, I could touch it
I want to pull it down and swallow it
I want to feel it in my teeth, pressing against my cheeks to escape again
To know the push and pull of the breath that was once yours
My lungs would never forget that memory