The Silence Between Us

We dipped our wriggling toes
in the salty, wharf-worn water,
wishing we could stay forever,
and watched the evening grow shorter.

I felt my fingers longing
for the touch of her hair
and I opened my mouth to speak
but she beat me to it.

She laughed
as she called me stupid.
"There's no such thing as love,
just a little bit of friendship
that's overdone."

She said, "There's no such thing
as that silly myth, Cupid.
Can't we stay this way forever?
Just the times we share together
and a lot of fun.

"So, my friend,
don't ask, don't speak,
just wait and we'll see
what becomes of us
and how it will end.

"Don't say you love me,
don't try to take my hand.
I only want to be free
and I know you understand."

I understood, all too well,
because there's a fate
that makes us wonder and wait
and torments us like a happy hell,
and then we see, all too well,
how it came and how it fell.

The two of us walked back
along the carless road,
like knots in a rope
and dreams that never erode.

It's funny
they say what comes around
goes around.

Once, I too only wanted friendship,
when someone else wanted love
and because I couldn't give it
she left me for another.

Then I moved on and found someone else
but she only wanted friendship
and I wanted love, but I know
I'll never leave for another.

I didn't say a word
and I never will.
We both fell in love
with the silence between us,
and that silence is there still.

The silence that says,
"I know you so well
we don't need to speak."

The silence that understands
what we leave behind
and what we seek.

The silence that binds us
in a way that nothing else can
because our voices aren't as strong
as our hearts
and our hearts are already
so close that nothing could say
what we would if we could.

We parted ways at the crossroads,
said, "See you tomorrow,"
and she went her way
and I went mine.

But even as we walked away
I sensed it, as I always do:
that silence between us
like a knot in a rope
that won't unwind,
and an unspoken hope
that we'll never leave each other
behind.