Awkward Hello

one
Seeing each other again
after all that time
was like being caught
naked in public,

fumbling with the buttons
of a greeting
we hastily tried
to cover ourselves,

our lips rode
the cursory ride
turning to the tune
of a painful carousel,

two strangers dancing,
uncomfortable in the knowledge
that they knew the shape
of each other too well.

two
Divorced mouths
wearing loose smiles,
falling off words
with thin waistlines,

trapped in the futility
of small talk,
our feet already trying
to stray away,

we hummed and hemmed in
ridiculous comments,
although we both knew
the truth that held sway.

three
Like an unposted love letter
for better or worse,
we'd archived each other
long ago,

for after all we'd been through,
we barely had the strength
for anything but the most
awkward hello.

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