Post-Teenage Hopeful Lust Poem by Lindsay King

I’m guilty by association
You’re lost in the blur
We are all we have left
From a life we let go of
We try to recapture a regret;
A mistake we shouldn’t have
You kiss me
And I wonder who
You’re pretending I am
I’m pretending
I’m still in ‘04
So just maybe
It can mean something
And it’s not that
I don’t find you attractive
I did—and still do—
But it’s not right
And you state it
Before I have the chance
I think we both know
That we’re either
Too young or too old
To settle for what we once were
And it’s not that you
Find me unattractive
I’m just not who I once was
We’re too close to
Letting the past go
That we can’t risk our friendship
For some post-teenage hopeful lust
We’re not who we once were
Back in ‘04
And I’m scared
That this awkward moment
Might be our last
Yet I can’t help but wonder
What we should run on
If we are left with nothing else
So I kiss you goodbye
Knowing that in 24 hours
I will be 400 miles away
I’ll tell you I’ll call you
When I’m back in town
You say we should
See each other again
And I wonder if
One of us is kidding
Only time will tell
And until then
I’m not lying when I say
That I’ll miss you
And I hope you’re not kidding
When you say it too