A Midnight Walk

It was midnight,
The streets were quiet,
The ground was wet,
Icy breeze,
Stray dogs
Just like us,
You braced yourself.
You asked if I was warm,
I nodded,
And then I lit you a cigarette.
You puffed and huffed.
Life is short and we should make the most of it, you said.
However way we can
Who cares, anyway?
Its all for nothing
And then we die.
Memories are funny, you said.
After you make them they’re just that,
Memories,
Full or empty,
A figment of the imagination
Of what once was.
Nostalgia can be painful,
You shook your head in disagreement
And changed your mind,
Nostalgia can be bittersweet, you said,
And if we are lucky sweet will be
The overriding tang in the mouth.
Your parents are having are a divorce
But your father is not any wiser
Your mother told you
Her lawyer is cooking papers she will serve him.
Twenty years together,
Just like that?
You shook your head and let out a dry chuckle
She probably stopped loving him, you said,
My father,
A long time ago
He cheated,
She cried,
She told me
She cheated.
The story led us downhill.
But hey,
I get her car, you said.
I can drive you around Bonny
If you care to visit
It will be nice
Just the two of us
In that big house
Do you think we will be friends forever?
Talk about growth
Since when we met,
With lovers on our arms
Beaming,
Your children and mine
Playing together.
Sounds like a fun future.
Do you look forward to the future?
Did you hear a word of everything I said?
I turned to you and nodded
I heard,
But it doesn’t matter
Nothing
What future?
It’s just you, me, us and right now
Walking on this street will be a memory
The chill in the night’s air
This warmth in our lungs
These words between us.
Like you said,
Today might count
Now may not.
One day, if we are lucky, it will be sweet to think about
This moment
Or bitter
But it doesn’t matter
What we can’t carry has to be left
Lives we have lived have to be left.
The crossroad was in sight
Cars and bright red lights.
You looked sullen
Like you had pictured me on the other side.
What will you do when you get home? You asked.
Think, I said, and then sleep.
Tomorrow asks questions we can’t answer.
