you ended our conversation with a 'see you later'
knowing full well you wouldn't
i'd like to think it was a slip of the tongue
rather than a rub of salt but
there's no way to be certain

i can't describe what it's like
to realize that the stubble on my face
is the same that brushed against your cheek
or this hair, the same that your
fingers navigated through
like blades of grass

if i could say that i was sorry
in a way that you'd appreciate,
i would. but we're too fargone,
this foregone conclusion
was only constructed in
the heart of one of us.

if i could give you back the time,
that you've stated now was wasted,
each memory, cards with
words of forever strewn about,
rings that were promises,
walks by the riverside,
while golden sunshine ushered
in new love, coffees paired
with wintry walks through an empty campus,
where i first realized, i'd miss you.
i would. but sand in an hourglass,
can't float upwards, regardless
of intent.