Mirrors

Two victims of chance, this setting of comfort they meet.
Two smiles unfeigned; new conversation breeds trust.
On two fronts, all things seem fine.
Two visions blurred; the moment is all each can give.
This situation reeks of potential disappointment.

A day older, but none the wiser, his wreckage is deep and real.
The hurt put there, not her fault, but it still drives him the same.
The perjuries of former lovers reflect off her brown eyes.
Something honest must exist beyond these walls.

A day older, a day darker, she wants something richer.
Misunderstood and miserable, misled she’s been for too long. 
A fool of love bandaged together by a string of bad decisions.
Something honest must exist beyond these walls.

Is she real or just a dream?
Is this who he is, or is this all just an act?
Walk away; she is getting too close.
Walk away; he will only bring pain.

He feels her, yes, but denies himself still.
She wants him, for sure, but her feelings she will hold inside.
These two masks of poise conceal two stamps of fear. 
These moments of discovery yield to the doubt of each mind. 
Tomorrow they will wake, and they will wake all alone.

All of this time and all of these ways.
Forgotten hope results in lost days.
All of these doubts and all of this fright.
It keeps them guessing and denying until nothing feels right.

Two lonely souls, each controlled wholly by apprehension.  
Subtle glances are friendly smiles are all that are offered.
A night of what-ifs to be replaced by a morning of emptiness.
Unfair, yet familiar, and the one emotion they share.

Imagine two groups of friends in a bar. The man is with his group of friends while the woman is with her group of friends. Both are single. Both individuals have dated. Each individual has been in numerous relationships. Each individual has been hurt by their partner on one or more occasions. They spot each other at the bar and spend the night catching each other's glances. But they are both wounded. They both have developed a defense mechanism to suspect the worst in a partner. As a result, they each lack confidence and optimism. Instead of hoping for the best, they expect the worst and believe that being alone is safer and less damaging than giving a relationship a chance. So rather than even giving the other one a chance, they sit on their hands and stay quiet until the night ends, and they each go their respective ways.

Written in 2005

Copyright, The Poetry of Bryan Buser