Everything we didEverything we saidEverywhere we wentAll in the past.Now when I see youYour face reminds meOf everything I lost.

Vulnerable,So very vulnerable.And all for what?Connection?Love?I was safer when I buried my heart.

I emerged from the forgeShiny and strong.Everything I loved burned away.

It has been a decade since we last held hands.Music filled the room,You danced the Twist,We laughed and took pictures.I am different now,More gray hairs, like yours.You don’t have to recognize me.Would I even recognize myself?There were so many times I picked up the phone to call.Letters I started and never sent.None of it matters…

When I travel, I am free;Joy and wonder dance at the edges of my mind.I dream of never returning:All my burdens wait for me at home,Exactly where I left them.