Each day passes
More heavily than
The last,
Procrastination being
It’s own catalyst,
Discomfort increasing
Until unbearable.
He resolves to do
Something,
At some point.
A beautiful tree
Resplendent in clear sunshine,
Verdant limbs swaying—
I adjust my new t-shirt,
Hoping she’s looking over.
Sitting on a bench
In the middle of
A bustling park,
He spots a friend
Across the way,
Then remembers
What happened.
It arrives innocuously,
At first seeming
Like no big deal.
It soon becomes much more
Trouble than it merits,
Unrequested complexity.
It collapses spectacularly,
A victim of its own
Unwieldiness.
Although she hadn’t expected it
To take up so much time,
It did, requiring her
To set aside things
Far more important.
She labored on,
Wondering how she might
Extricate herself from
This self-inflicted situation.
A small gesture
Feels so large
When one has been
Toiling away without
Perspective, the
Horizon being only
What is directly before
One’s eyes rather than
The splendid whole.
It’s a sad, troubling moment
When you perceive the closing of
A mind, the point at which you
Realize that you’re not talking
With the same person you once
Knew but one who has become
Permeated by something other
Than what you both used to
Consider so commonplace that
It was never even mentioned.
Without any fanfare,
He’s not there anymore,
For no apparent reason.
Divergent lives,
Disparate experiences,
Paths that do not meet
But for chance.
She never quite
Trusted him,
Something about
The fake smile,
Overconfidence in
His supposed intelligence,
A general unease,
Lack of connection.
