Encounter

Three of us sitting there,
silent.
Not knowing what to say
next,
stunned by the moment
we find ourselves
in.

The vast emptiness between us
is like a
dinosaur in the room.
It’s presence is known to all of us;
and pretending it’s not there
seems like the safest
choice.

Time ticks by,
seconds slowly marching
along
and nothing
is said.

The building anxiety makes me
nauseous,
bubbling up underneath
it all
like a fountain
ready to explode.

When was the time that
this was easy?
There is so much to say
and nothing comes out.

I fantasized about this meeting
for so long.
What I would say.
How he would respond.
The ending that
could be possible.

But now,
what’s here in the air
is thick.
Some would say
like pea soup.

And what I dreamed could be
easy,
now seems
impossible
to attain.

more by MISSY

Photograph by Maria Molinero