Collector

i've gotten into the habit
of collecting things
buying things
picking up things
for people i love

small things
coins rocks scraps
pieces of paper
pens trinkets erasers
chapstick and whistles and toys
books and buttons and sticky notes

things they would love
or covet
set on display
or loose in the depths of their bag

i amass these things until i see them so
that i may turn them in
even if the people in question
have long gone from my life