Philia

A Poem

Photo by Ron Lach : https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-and-girl-hugging-on-the-meadow-10213696/

you weren’t on my agenda,
but maybe that’s okay
because now i can’t imagine
not knowing someone like you.

you weren’t on the checklist,
weren’t trapped in my heady plans,
weren’t lost in my endless stories —
but now here you are.

yet there’s a line in the sand,
there’s a limit to the words,
there’s a lock on the box —
and i have to live with that.

but, you see, i know this path
since i’ve walked it before —
in dreams and in shops,
in pastures and in storms.

i know what it’s like to hurt
and what it’s like to burn
and what it’s like to pine —
so i can stand the tides.

but can i still call you
a dear friend?

but can i still call you
a warm soul?

you aren’t on my agenda,
and that’s what you need —
not to be on the end
of a lonely siren song.