If We Had Met a Little Later
If we had met a little later,
I think we would’ve gotten it right.
We would’ve been quieter in the ways we loved —
but louder in how we stayed.
We wouldn’t have to run.
Not from ourselves.
Not from each other.
There wouldn’t have been so many almosts,
so many unfinished conversations.
No goodbyes in doorways that still ache
when I pass them in dreams.
I like to think
we’d meet again in some soft hour,
older maybe,
or just a little more honest —
and you’d look at me like you used to,
but with less fear
and more knowing.
And maybe we wouldn’t even need to say much.
You’d just sit beside me
the way you always wanted to
but couldn’t,
and I’d rest my head where it always belonged.
And in that moment,
nothing would be missing.
Not time.
Not words.
Not you.
Somewhere in another life, we’re still there — and neither of us ever had to leave.
-Violet Hernandez
