The Distance Between Us

there was a time
we could speak
of anything.

our fears.
our dreams.
the things we carried
that no one else
could see.

somewhere
along the way,

something changed.

a word.
a judgement.
a silence
where understanding
once lived.

and slowly,
we learned
what not to say.

how strange
to miss someone
who has not gone.

to recognize
their face,
their voice,

yet ache
for the place
where we once met.

perhaps
this is grief.

to love someone
who has not left,

yet feel
the distance
of their leaving.

i cannot make you
see what i see.

nor can i lose myself
trying to reach you.

but neither
will i close my heart
to survive
the closing of yours.

and if someday
we find ourselves
standing
on opposite shores,

i will remember

there was a time
we stood
beside the same river.

and the water
still flows.