A Midnight Walk

Patrick.
Patrick.
Jul 22, 2017 · 2 min read

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.

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