the could’ve been

the most mature of relationships

between two people, the most

intimate, the most emotionally

prolific is the

could’ve been---

this occurs when two individuals

who’ve come along in their lives

separately, end up crossing paths

at a point when neither of their

paths can withstand the complete

wreck of upheaval which would

come with the attempt at bringing

themselves together in the way

that their prospective others share

them now,

be them married or single, in a

committed thing or barely with someone

else, for some reason, the two

size each other up & enjoy the company

of one another to the extent which is

possible, without crossing the line---

whether it takes place at work or

in some venue in which they repeatedly

meet, it is understood & unspoken

that though they seem to make sense to

one another now,

now is not the time &

the relation that occurs is pleasantly

platonic (if one must use that word),

it is safe & unobtrusive, it will not take

away any aspect of the lives which you

have separately developed on your own &

it is more than a friendship, with a lifespan

that may go away in a week or a month---

the pleasure in the

could’ve been

comes from knowing that it will never

be.