Then

Then We met, had a relatively carefree, joyous life, those early years Then I went south; we wept; fearful, you hammered the table after losing touch for a moment Then I saw a way back, but you castrated a fledging idea, not for the last time Then Back, the intensity and distance of responsibilities opened my eyes at another Then I shared that fledgling crush, in naivety and hope we might find a way forward Then You screamed at me after we got back from the airport Then We opened the relationship, but it only closed things further Then I parted, briefly, and came back because we missed each other Then Intimacy drained away, our routine persisted, but satisfaction stalled Then We realized we had gone our own ways, for some time, some other destiny Yet We had tried hard to make things work, to keep shared dreams alive for a long time, with no regrets for me, each day, each routine, nevertheless something for which I can only have gratitude Now We live apart, with new uncertain and disconcerting daunting futures ahead When I think of us, of you, of all we shared; the love, the absurd playful moments, the deep intellectual exchanges, the passion for a better world, above all the love