the encounter in a heartbeat.

it used to be us
that loud laugh in the hallway
the boisterous and the merry

today the hallway is full of activity
but the laughs I hear are empty

it used to be us
that quiet whispering in the corner
the frantic hush of every murmur

today those corners seemed colder
without us they looked even darker

Yes, it used to be us
that suggestion of inseparability in a pronoun
the you and the me used as a noun

tonight we are not even words
just two people across the street

and an encounter that lasted just a heartbeat