Spring cleaning

I rummaged through my contacts one day
And found your profile–
We had connected a long ways ago
And never had a reason to keep in touch

I looked through the status updates
Photos and links you shared
And wondered how many of your
Four hundred contacts did the same thing as me
Maybe they asked the same thing too–
How did I know this person?

It’s funny how this type of networking occurs
We try to connect with people we’ve met
On the slim chance that maybe that connection
Proves to be useful later on
I know I’ve played that game and hoarded
Thousands of connections with people
I’ve never met in person but thought
That someone seven degrees separated from me
May help me find a job or the love of my life

Now I realize it’s just that–
A game

When I tried to recall why I connected with you
I almost did not know–
The best I could remember was that you
Like other people I met
Made an impression on me and while
Circumstances prevented me from getting
To know you in real life
I the hopeful humanitarian felt
Learning about you online may be helpful
In getting to know you offline in the real world
Think of it as doing my homework
So that if I was tested
And should we talk in real life
I could at least try to steer
The conversation to things you’re willing to discuss

But in real life
The opportunity to meaningfully talk to you
Never presented itself
And your profile became part of my just-in-case collection
As I’m sure my profile had become part of a similar collection
Of yours or someone else

As I finished looking at your profile
One of many I decided to look through today
It was time to be practical
And acknowledge we were never friends to begin with
And probably never would be–
Click