there we sat

consuming the same air

we cracked open our barriers

safety nets

and funneled old familiarity into each other

to stifle the violent silence.

a look I once knew as home

is now something new to discover

and though we rest in different beds

I acknowledge the walk we took together

to become who we are

separate entities

feeding off shared experience.

we split apart and

snapped our vessels

so that we can cultivate

our own lives.

and that is fine with me.

attach yourself to the sticky surface of the water

where we once stood to warm our feet

let it be a net and not an anchor

let us arrange the slides

the photographs of our new journeys apart

so that we may present them

in a solitary room

plush air and humming static

and feel proud

in place of discomfort.

we shared time and carved trails

to hoist ourselves into

the skin of who we ought to be

and I thank you.