Someone asked me what you were
“Is that your girlfriend? I saw you with.”
And I’m like… maybe?
Mostly she was important talks and giggles and… you know
And someone who needed things I had to give and to teach
We weren’t long (well, I was)
We were flea markets and ice cream and one damn fine summer
And that one night with the two of us and my friend
Late night walks and learning each others quirks
We were that salted caramel and the salted duck eggs she left me
We were salt, and sweat, and central air
We were the Mayan chicken salad at Olga’s and she was picking out the crumbs with those tiny little hands I like so much because sometimes I’m embarrassed to say “celiac”
We were a late night poetry reading on a bench in the park
We were invested—I was invested—in a way I didn’t expect and wasn’t prepared for
We weren’t around each other for long enough
We were… something. I don’t know what the word is.
I don’t think it’s “girlfriend”, but I know what you mean
I know what you’re really asking behind the words and the answer is
We were a thing, for a while, but she had to leave
Maybe we will be a thing again
We’re a different thing now
The answer, I guess, is
Maybe?