By the first time we’d spoke back in kindergarten

the universe had deemed us best friends

and our lives intertwined

as inseparable as the lives of twins

and we’d spend hours in our conjoined imaginations

in your backyard where no one had hurt us yet

At that time we had not yet sat in those old chairs til’ dusk

discussing the ways in which men had reshaped our minds

and sucked our spirits into vacuums which could never be emptied back out

and we had not yet rediscovered ourselves

sitting in the subtle glow of your backdoor light

and one day as we leaned back into our designated chairs

letting our laughter fade out

you told me that you had a dream

that everyone in your life had left

that I was the only one who stayed

and I knew then

at the end of the day

with the night’s wind

penetrating our skin

as we refused to go inside

it would always be

you and I