july 4th.

i remember every time we said goodbye.

the deep breath we’d take right before,

as if it would lessen the sting, ease the hurt.

the words that followed after are always hazy,

leaving me only with a collection of sad endings…

a stranger on a train looking out the window,

wondering why you never ran after it…

a stranger on a platform clenching his hands,

wondering why i boarded in the first place.

but there is an old coffee shop around the corner

that knows our names and the people there

saw us in love, and maybe that is enough.

knowing you’re not the only mind i’m collecting dust in.

knowing we exist somewhere else, someplace more beautiful.

so i close my eyes and picture that ocean,

the one we spent hours throwing rocks in.

and maybe one day i’ll go back, dive to the bottom,

and find a memory of us that never ends.

but for now, we take a deep breath,

as if it would lessen the sting,

as if it would ease the hurt.