I remember, sometime
in my early twenties,
realizing that I had
never experienced
the feeling of
missing somebody.
And I think
it's because
in order to miss someone
you have to first
let them exist.

And no one did.

And I don't know how
or when
it started to happen
but slowly, unnoticeably,
faces that were
once distant and blurry
became increasingly clear
moving nearer, nearer,
until close enough to
reach out and touch.
Hear the air softly exhaled
from their lungs.
Close enough to be hurt
and to love. And now
I feel it come in waves
a dull, subtle ache in my chest
and I think
it's because
I miss the nearness of
my friends.