I remember like it was yesterday
the butterflies before our first kiss
our first sunset and sunrise
when I first said I love you and heard
those magical words fall from you like rain
on parched barren ground
we were untouchable
we fought out of passion and disappointment
of course we still cared about the outcome then
rain doesn’t fall on these grounds anymore
our conversations are more like a series
of monosyllabic grunts and icy stares
over cold meals and too-strong coffee
but we’ve neither of us the energy
nor desire
to do anything about making it matter
we are untouchable
you live a life I know nothing about
my own I hardly recognize
the woman I see in the mirror can’t be me
she looks tired, worn, bitter, old
just like you
dinner is silent, I pour a wine, you a scotch
both drinks warmer than the looks we give each other
we lay down to bed facing separate walls
to dream our separate dreams
on our own parched barren grounds
we are untouchable.

© Crystal S. McDonald.