“Oh, hello! Oh my gosh, how are you?”

And just like that, you are no longer sixteen,

for me, nor I fourteen, for you,

and the faces we kept for each other

in memory have weathered away.

“How’s life? How’s … your family?

“You have kids? Me, too.”

“Oh, wow! They’re big!”

And it’s unsaid that they are almost

the ages we were when we met.

Childhood sweethearts, we were.

Backseat of a 4Runner, we were.

Long nights on a phone, we had

Long drives just to be alone, we ran

Long goodbyes on a porch

Short goodbyes that hurt

Nostalgia, regret, forgave, and forget

Looking at each other now solidifies the

years… decades…

I don’t want this new memory:

You at thirty-eight meeting me at thirty-six.

For so long you were the anchor to my youth, and now, to see you see me as we are today,

I feel the years have just slipped away.

“But, enjoy your coffee, have a good day!”

Should we… stay in touch?

No, I suppose we just continue to

go our separate ways.