It wasn’t a flashback.
I sat there, staring at you
as if we were 10 years in the past
but my memories remained,
I remained.

I froze,
as if I could never move again
in a fit of panic –
Freeze Tag –
Bare and Vulnerable.
I tried not to cry
and almost failed.

It wasn’t until I got home
that I realized
you had a brother.
You had a mom and dad.
You were also a human
with hopes and dreams,
but somehow,
you just went so wrong.

I thought I ran into a ghost
and instead, I ran into reality.