Back to Square 2

Square 1

The sum of a few glances

Taken chances

Talk that is no longer small

When I noticed I could fall for you

Sparks in the air

Speaking stares

Airs filled with discovery

Of who you are and what you crave to be

Uncovering compatibility

And possibilities

Fresh meat sizzled in our romantic stew

And the flavor grew

As we encountered Square 2

Occasional hellos

Walking together unsure where to go

I laughed at your jokes

And you laughed at me

How my actions are never performed gracefully

Everything simple and sweet

In the chaos of unveiled futures and progressing feet

Dancing beneath ladders

Because we didn't need luck

We were stuck

In a jocular semi-flirtatious tone

Accelerating replies through my phone

Or cell

I could tell that

I was a familiar face

A reserved place in the friend zone

But your beauty emerged

Something potent had grown

I was devoured by the urge to splurge on an internal nip and tuck

Conforming myself to the one you'd like to--and suddenly Square 3 struck

Texting for seven hours straight

Speaking of metaxy and fate

Sprinkling admiration in our debates

Glimmers of secrets immersed in your eye

And your presence forced my stomach to fly

Then crash

I saw not an ash but a provocative flame

Evocative of thrills every time I heard your name

You convinced me that you felt the same

My sparrow of a hand clenched yours

And you didn't complain

That it wasn't tame

Forbidden words and gestures

Hidden jokes and treasures

The time I said

You think you're very witty

And you replied

Hell yeah I'm clever

And you beat something out of me

Transformed my heart into leather

Solidifying expectations of together and forever

Never reflecting

Only expecting

You to illuminate my days

With your gaze

Like a firefly in the night

And my pupils witnessed everything yet I had no sight

Only the power to ignite more affection

To thrust it in your direction

Us was defined by perfection

There was no need for cautionary inspection

Because everything was key

Until you chose someone who wasn't me.

Suddenly I was evacuated from Square 3

I'd been played like a guitar or a game of Yahtzee

Whatever we had was defenestrated

I was devastated

For you had penetrated

My verbose exoskeleton

I gave you the power to break my heart

The system failed and I didn't dare press restart

I encountered you and didn't greet

You looked at me and our eyes didn't meet

There was silence as you took your seat

Which was no longer next to mine

For you degraded me into a piece of meat

Then turned on the heat

Letting micro-organisms dwell on my carcass and begin to eat

I was shattered and frustrated

I still am

So I took a stand

And abdicated

Leaving you isolated

But it also generated

A stabbing sensation in my heart

Because Square 0 is awfully tart

I didn't know how to perform the part

Of a gargoyle

For the stone took a toil

And started to soil all my inner organs and places

Preventing homeostasis

Only a series of biological races towards death

There was agony in each breath

For you took a step away and so did I

And the distance was unbearable

Practically irreparable

For you are a magnet

And I'm nothing but a set of iron

So the forces pried on

I loved you even when I hated you

So after my treatment of silence

And emotional violence

I played with fire

Spoke with you, old flame

I'll probably get scorched but I can endure the pain

Just not this game

And as we reconnected the crisis returned to the same

And mundane

Nothing had changed 

But me

I struggled to find my location

And it occurred to me

I was not in Square 0, nor 3

I am now in Square 2

We aren't strangers, but we are still new

I don't have a clue what you'll do

Only that I'm back as your companion

The friend who once loved you.