the could’ve been

the most mature of relationships
between two people, the most
intimate, the most emotionally
prolific is the
could’ve been---
this occurs when two individuals
who’ve come along in their lives
separately, end up crossing paths
at a point when neither of their
paths can withstand the complete
wreck of upheaval which would
come with the attempt at bringing
themselves together in the way
that their prospective others share
them now,
be them married or single, in a
committed thing or barely with someone
else, for some reason, the two
size each other up & enjoy the company
of one another to the extent which is
possible, without crossing the line---
whether it takes place at work or
in some venue in which they repeatedly
meet, it is understood & unspoken
that though they seem to make sense to
one another now,
now is not the time &
the relation that occurs is pleasantly
platonic (if one must use that word),
it is safe & unobtrusive, it will not take
away any aspect of the lives which you
have separately developed on your own &
it is more than a friendship, with a lifespan
that may go away in a week or a month---
the pleasure in the
could’ve been
comes from knowing that it will never
be.