All of the people
I wanted to be friends
Now acquaintances haunting my phone
She’s pregnant, he travelled
Oh look, a promotion
And they’ve just bought their first home
Is it my problem
I struggle to connect
Or is this space by mistake?
How have you been?
Well, the same as always
Looking for changes to make

The head pleads with the heart
To learn from what has been taught
That while we cannot see the seeds
Buried beneath the soil
We must assume they’re still there
We must assume they are growing

If rain falls and sun shines
And we do not see a sprout
I will retire my *****
Pave over the ground
And forget I ever wanted
Flowers to grow

Do you know me?
Would you like to know me?
For an hour, for a day, for a night.
What size of me is palatable?
Am I enough?
I’m trying not to be.
To intrigue but not to satiate,
To hold but not to have.
You wouldn’t want it,
Not if I were really offered.
To want to know me,
Such a prettier thing than knowing me.

Not again, not you
I have worked too hard
Not to have changed.
I had chosen kind words
4, 7, 8
It did not have to go this way.
Then I look up
Teeth centimetres deep
A pit in my stomach
Blood on my chin.
Your eyes, soft and brown
Different than before
Brutalised by
Patience worn thin.

Our words are shared
Our minds aquaint
I see my favourite part of me
In your favourite part of you
While our delights dance
Our dormant selves awake
Such a shame that we
Are all we have in common

I break a sprint
To go forward, or far away?
My breath shortens
I latch on
You carry me forward
Oh, I admire your pace
But this is my stop
Enjoy the rest
If I squint
I still see you
Miles ahead

He adds the figures
Strikes through the mistakes
And gasps.
With all the respect
He feels he’s owed
He could afford
A better life