closure

people assume closure looks like

two people turning their backs on each other / someone walking away / silence / a clear goodbye / firmly shut doors / lock it / the deadbolt too / toss the key into the river

but sometimes it looks like

a “see you later” / all you have to do is knock / leaving the door cracked / until you’re forced to admit there’s a draft / and it’s letting all of the heat out / coming to terms with the fact that they don’t remember the secret knock / shutting your own door / switching off the light / moving into a new house

and then it will look like

I moved into a new house / how did you know where I live? / you must have seen the flowers in the front lawn / blooming / you probably thought “she must water those every day” / you must have thought about the overgrown grass and weeds at the old house / I couldn’t bring myself to burn it down / sometimes I like to drive by and picture the strangers that used to sit at the kitchen table

this new house / of course you wanted to come inside / you knocked and said you were just passing through / this isn’t a hostel for lost men anymore / this is a home / I built it myself / and I’m sorry / it hurts me too / but I can’t invite you in