12:17

Curfew ends at 12.

Not 12:01

And certainly not 12:17.

The boy I knew

Would never have left

Past curfew.

The boy I knew

Is gone though.

And you're just a stranger,

Staying past curfew

In my downstairs neighbor's apartment.

A ceiling, a floor, and a lifetime

Are all that separate us now.

I knew that you would change

In time.

I just didn't expect you

To be someone I didn't recognize

So soon.

10/20/23