In Reverse

Can we skip the argument?

The spiteful, painful words we don’t really mean

Spewing forth from angry throats

Stabbing into the heart with intent to bleed each other dry

Can we skip the hurt, the red angry welts on our souls?

Can we leave each other be peacefully?

You don’t hold me anymore

But to be fair, I don’t hold you, either.

At some point in the last year, we drifted

Apart, together

You say she doesn’t mean anything

I say he doesn’t mean it the way it sounds

We both know they do.

Do you love me?

Do I love you?

You helped me remove a tampon that got stuck

I helped you lance a nasty boil on your neck

You kill spiders for me, and save me from bees

I don’t cook mushrooms anymore, because you hate them

You don't have a cat, because I'm allergic

I never thought that I’d be this comfortable with someone

You never imagined you could just be with someone

We love each other, all of the banality we think makes us odd

Common to all of humanity

Can you imagine life without me?

Can I imagine life without you?

My relatives once, embarrassingly, called this “puppy love.”

I refuse to fart in front of you, or shit at your house

You don’t talk about your troubles to me, yet, or admit to the stupid shit you’ve done

I text you when I wake up with “Good morning!”

You call me at night from bed, with “Good night!”

We do everything together, even when we shouldn’t

We don’t know if we love each other yet, but we’re

Drunk on each other

Breathing each other

Perfect for each other

Sipping a now-tepid coffee, reading a niche book,

You ask me what I’m reading, and your eyes light up like

Stars revealed behind parting clouds

We talk for hours, until the cafe closes

We exchange numbers

We meet again, less by chance, more by choice.

I wake up.

If we do this in reverse, can we change the future?