No warning, no preparation,

Our unlikely meeting began,

And the more I invested,

The more I appreciated you.

There was nothing to reveal,

As there was nothing to hide

From each other.

Grateful for your trust.

We shared a path and walked,

Strolled, sprinted, slipped

Side by side.

We once shared a path.

When was it that the first shoot

Sprouted in that little crevice between us?

How did it root itself in such a confined space?

We looked at it in awe and anticipation…

Your silence nurtured it.

I went with the flow.

Our pride allowed it to thrive

And …

I waited, and you probably did too.

The problems… I never addressed well

Grew with the eddying discomfort,

Grew with the flood of time and memories.

Impatience.

Frustration.

Rashness.

Until at last-  

I was defiant against the current

And immersed in fighting it,

Forgot to look back.

You slowed down and didn’t call out.

And only when the blinkers finally wore down

In tatters on the ground,

Dancing to a gentle breeze

As if laughing at me, did I realise…

That I left your side long ago

And the company I had was a full hedge

Which split our path in two

And barricaded you from me,

and me from you.

I occasionally hear your voice and laughter

Muffled by the voices of your new companions…

And the hedge.

And a sad smile.

That smile exudes conflicted emotions.

Sad that I ultimately let you go,

But relieved for your ease and happiness.

You seem more confident now…

Perhaps we are walking the same path, or maybe it crosses beyond the hedge.

But it obscures and I can only see you clearly

In hazy memories.

And I wonder if we will ever be able to share the same path again…

I wonder if you know that I am listening on the other side.