Long Distance Relationships

Everyone says I run from my problems,

because after every breakup,

I book a trip

and create distance

I’m not running.

I’m reintroducing myself

to the part of me

that lives in the wild.

No one ever talks about

the other kind of distance,

the kind that grows

Sitting across a kitchen table.

I looked into your eyes.

You looked through me,

like I wasn’t there.

I poured out my heart,

told you what was weighing on me.

You changed the subject,

swatting my words away

like a mosquito in your ear.

I reached out my hand to hold yours,

my arms are only so long.

You sat close,

but felt so far.

No one warns you

how painful

a long-distance relationship can be

when you're sitting side by side.