subtext

• •

Either/Or

“I have committed adultery in my heart..”

         —- Jimmy Carter

the moments went unnoticed 

until days sometimes years later

when the obvious slid past

like shadows tossed through a window

by a passing car late at night

and he realized what had been offered

when the difference in time between what 

almost occurred and what he desired

vanished so regret could have grown

from a surreptitious kiss  bestowed

instead of the one that was not

(April 26, 2025)