How Nice to See You

How Nice to See You

that boy showed up
in my dream, a far cry
from the camo-clad man
he grew into

he wanted to date me,
& one of his many
ex-girlfriends
walked by
in the background
of the dream pizza joint

she was eight months
pregnant & her hair
was long, full of
plentiful vitamins,
her smile glinting
off the parlor lights

I wanted to wake up,
but I’m a glutton
for seeing how things
turn out, plus we didn’t
hate each other here

all these unfriended,
gathered in one place
in a time I can’t seem
to forget

all these memories
I’m not sure
I’m supposed to have
while sleeping

there’s a spark

& then we’re all on the ground
because it’s still the same
battlefield, play or get played

that boy grew up
to be islamaphobic, & that girl
teaches at our old high school

there are reasons
I choose not to associate
with certain ghosts

I’m the barren one,
passive & afraid
of my words of weaponry

they say we inherit all kinds of things
from our parents

I watched that pizza joint
get demolished on YouTube
& I thought for sure
that would be the end
of all this nostalgia,
both the beautiful
& the bittersweet

but I was mistaken,
as usual, disillusioned,
seeing all kinds of flashbacks
in destruction’s dust