At dinner with his father
In reflexive response to the worry
Of his sister's relationship and
Its eminent failure:

"Well, most relationships end prematurely"

He hadn't meant it
He'd meant "her" relationships
Not "most"

But he'd been divorced
And so had both of his parents
And several of their friends
And both of his aunts
And his friend
And her friend
And his former boss
And a neighbor
And a barber
And this random guy at the bar
And now another friend--

Being alone when you know
What it's like to not be
Has a way of warping your perspective

Or maybe they were right after all

Maybe his optimism was only skin deep