I’m tired of grieving people who haven’t died
Some have become so unrecognisable
That everything before seems like a lie

I’d like to think that some relationships
are destined to last forever
Enduring despite distance, a quantum tether
I don’t know if that’s true, but I know it works better
When two people keep the same desire in mind

Silence makes me doubt and question
Did my clumsiness ruin our connection?
At our age, we should be adept at communication
But it seems no longer worth the time

It’s somehow worse when through it all
There’s no violent conflict, no vitriol
Just a gradual fade of texts and calls
Steady, tectonic indifference, to cut the line

Because who you are right now isn’t who we used to be
And I used to wonder if you ever wondered about me
It’s been hard to go from inside jokes to tainted memories
But eventually the tape runs out, and I’ll write the next few lines.

It’s tempting to imagine that our journeys are the type of book where you can choose your own adventure
Endlessly branching plots intertwining like tangled vines
And that we can only select one at each junction

But in reality, sometimes pursuing one pathway means
leaving the rest behind, letting possibilities wilt
Pruning the vines as you reach skywards in search of new light and new heights.

Until in hindsight, you see only a gnarled, sturdy tether,
Steadfast but deliberately crooked.

But it hurts when someone else clips a bud and a pathway you’re hoping for.