Side by side we sit
in silence.
Our minds preoccupied
with the tension
between us.
Yet, my hand still tries
to reach out and grab yours
as it used to—
for that same sense
of comfort it once brought me.

And I want to ask you
“how have you been?”
“how has life treated you?”
because I want to hear
that you are well
and that life has been good.

And I mean that in the most sincere way.

But, part of me
wants to hear that
you miss me
and that you
haven’t been the same.
I want to hear
that you also lie awake
at night and wonder
“where did we go wrong?”
“what could we have done differently?”

None of this happens,
of course,
so we remain sitting-
and no words are exchanged-
and no eye contact is made-
and only the silence
of strangers
remains.