and it passed

she raised her head
like you raise a glass
to make a toast
and when our eyes met
in that specific second
i felt a dread
that grabs your bones
and shakes loose
every last shred
of artifice
until nothing false
can remain fixed
in place
your masks crashing
down around you
with a sound like
dirty dishes smashing
on an all night
diner’s tiled
floor. and maybe

now you’re waiting
for a resolution
of some sort
or happy conclusion
as if she would
stand with arms
flung open to wrap
us both in a warm
embrace but why
does it only seem
to count when
there’s this thing
to show or hold
rather than simply
letting it flow
like electric fire
that sparked to life
for some unknowable
reason in the blink
of an eye. and maybe

that’s just how
it’s supposed to play
itself out when
in a singular moment
frozen from the flow
of time two souls
connected across
a crowded bar
as she shone
with unpossessable
eternal light
burning brightly
through the darkness
one solitary night
in utrecht
and the choice
laid so graciously
at my feet
was for me
to let it pass.