That's the Way These Things Go
That’s The Way These Things Go
by Edmund Siejka
I was in a bar
By myself
In one of those places that I hadn’t been to in awhile
And yet still recognized
By the turn of a chin
Or an occasional nod.
The place was busy
The music got louder
When the bartender bought a round.
It was standing room only
But I spotted her in the crowd
The same warm smile
Even white teeth
Brown hair bordering a face
I must have kissed a hundred times.
Someone once said to know someone does not take years
It just takes seconds to realize
That you belong together.
Impulsively I called out to her
True, I was angry when what we had slowly ended
And yet
After all this time
Something inside of me needed
To reach out and hold her again.
We spoke
Our talk was brief as brief can be
Just a hello with some words
Thrown in.
She said,
Too many things had happened
So, she left for the West Coast
Made a new life for herself
And was flying back the next day.
Holding my arm
She kissed me
Surprised,
I stepped back
Our eyes meeting
For the shortest second
And then I knew
She was saying goodbye forever.
Still
I don’t know why
I guess there was no real reason for it
But my heart jumped to my throat
When she walked away.
Suddenly feeling alone
I searched the crowd
Drowning in the noise and empty voices
Wondering why I came here.
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