He was my Pyramus

My Orpheus

My Romeo

The age old tale of love forbidden

Star-crossed children

Believing that fairy tale

That fate will converge

In their favor

We met in the hideaway bridge

Everyday when the dusk settled

Lamplights went on

And the moon glistened like a pearl

Against an iron sky

Between his home and mine

We shared secret moments

Silent passions

Worlds we created

Until mother called me in

Scolding, berating

Forbidding me to go back to the bridge

But I always found a way

When the city slept

And my mother’s snores groaned

I kept my feet quiet

And came to the bridge

Where he was always waiting

As if he knew

Exactly when I’d show

That night, as snowflakes painted the windows

He kissed my cheek

And, cradling my face in his hands

Whispered sweet sentiments

Romantic adages

And promises to remember me always

I asked why I would need to worry

Why I should ever forget

He stayed silent

But a tear graced his eyes

Which reflected the snow

And the profound sadness buried

Deep in his soul

The next evening, my boots tied up

My jacket pulled tight around my shoulders

I ran to the bridge

As I always did

Opening that wooden door

That led to our hideaway

Led to our world

Stopping short, mouth agape

The bridge was gone

The building as well

Any trace of their existence

Wiped completely away

Leaving behind them

A dusty alleyway

The scurrying feet of rats on the gutters

And a girl with a shattered heart