The candlelight
flickered
the only witness
to the silence between us
Menus in hand,
but nothing to choose
that we hadn't already tasted
Your eyes
scanned the room
like it might hold
a better version of us.
The waiter brought
two glasses of wine,
and I drank both
as if the bottom
held a reason to stay
Two plates arrived,
and we picked at them,
like archaeologists
sifting
through remains
of glory days
And when the bill came,
I asked to split it,
as if I'd been rehearsing
how to leave for years.