we returned after months
because we knew me must
despite exhaustion of the dead
we returned with each other
to each other’s acceptance
despite the darkened folds
we returned to common rooms
to staccato conversations
despite our acquiescent whispers
we returned to rearranged chairs
to vaguely shifted points of view
despite our best attempts to lie
we returned to our solitudes
to our redacted definitions
despite our fractured lives
(December 15, 2024)
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