I can completely imagine spending the rest
Of my life with you
When we would get married
Where we would live
The names of our kids
Sunday brunches
Family vacations–
But if you asked me
“Did you write that novel yet?”
That novel I keep telling
Everyone I’ve always wanted to write
I can’t even think of a reason why
The main characters are even together
I changed the names to protect the innocent
I changed the circumstances so what I wrote emotionally hit you
Like a closed fist wearing a rubber gauntlet
Because I’m in love with you
Because I hate you
Because I wish I knew you
Because I’ve known you for years
You’re a stranger who’s a danger
To my starved heart
But you’re all too familiar because I recognize you from before
From what was written
From what was posted
From the parties you hosted
Even though they were only inside your head
And so you ask me why?
I’ll step away from the mirror now
It’s time to head to the audition
I can’t make this all up
Because I was writing about you
It’s not real
None of it is
But I’d like to think it could be
It’s like standing just outside a crowd
Not knowing how to join in
Though I’ve found a way before
It’s overhearing the daily banter
With voices no longer being familiar anymore
And sidestepping routine paths
Because I no longer want to be seen
It’s when everything seems like a distraction
Though my soundtrack plays loudly in my head
I try to keep busy so doubt stays away
People respecting my personal space way too much
The group becomes a clique
As if a life sentence
And I wonder as the years pass slow-not-quick
If a restart elsewhere would make any sense
It may be nothing and pass with time
But I’ve felt this before
And once again
I am unsure of my next move
As you stomped through the cold rain
Hood over your head
Long jacket flowing behind like a cape
You reminded me
Of my childhood
An idle mind
Is a puppet of the heart
The words must entice
Anything else will not suffice–
I am a dictionary reader
Sentences must convey
The feelings of what they weigh–
I am a student of literature
What’s written isn’t randomly placed
For that would be such a waste–
I am a judicious planner
Done not for the money
The wealth is in the journey–
I am the heart’s scholar
No rave reviews to be won
Not waiting for anyone–
My litany is never over
The objectives preach
What the instructors must teach–
I am the designer
The questions test
Sort the best from the rest–
I am the test writer
The training must educate
Knowledge transfer it must facilitate–
I am the course developer
Delivered on budget and on time
With the all widgets and wind chimes–
I am the project manager
When the critiques are good
With return on investment fully understood–
Onto the next project
9.11×10−31 kg is the weight of an electron
0.3 seconds for an eye to blink
1.5 miles between home and work
3 days become the ideal weekend
4 years to get through college
7 miles to pass a hour’s time on the treadmill
8 minutes for sunlight to reach the Earth
10 pieces of candy corn is enough
17 elementary particles in the standard model of physics
21 months is the length of an elephant pregnancy
30 days to form a habit
43 is just an age
65 is when you like to retire
70 is probably when you can retire
122 years is the age a human has been verified to have lived
248 years is the time it takes Pluto to orbit around the sun
350 years is the high-end estimated age of Jupiter’s Great Spot
760 miles per hour is the speed of sound
900 years is the estimated age of a famous British time traveller
2,018 years of the Common Era/Anno Domini calendar
3,000 calories per day is an actual diet plan!
5,000 meters is only 3.1 miles
10,000 hours to become an expert
24,000 miles is the circumference of the Earth
239,000 miles between Earth and moon
1.4 million people in Hawaii
3.9 million people in Oklahoma
14 million estimated species on Earth
136 million miles between Earth and Mars
323 million people in the United States
670 million miles per hour is the speed of light
7.4 billion people in the world
28 billion light years is the area of the observable universe
100 billion galaxies estimated in the observable universe
20 trillion dollars is the national debt of the United States
7×1022 stars in the observable universe
7×1022 molecules in 10 drops of water
And the space between me and you?
A word
The Space Between Me and You 