when I was a kid, I used to play the quiet game

whether it was on long road trips or during a fire drill

it was a game

if you talked, you lost

as I got older, graduated high school and went off to college, the game still continued

and it sounded something like this

although, silence doesn’t usually make a sound

“Good morning.”

a greeting, often exchanged in the morning hours between friends, family, or lovers

but it’s something we never said

because unlike the sun that rises after dawn

you’re always hidden

like a new moon

“Have a great day!”

a wish, a hope that one gives to another

each day is a new opportunity to go out in the world

and make it better than it was the day before

each day is a new day

and I hope yours is great

“How was class?”

a question, that I would ask if I didn’t already know the answer to

because maybe you slept in, forgot to set your alarm, or just didn’t feel like it

I try to find the courage to ask

but we both know the answer

and we’ll both never know how class went

“Why are you ignoring me?”

a genuine concern, because I can’t stop thinking

I need to find peace of mind because my heart is in pieces

my hearts racing

it seems like all you want to do is replace me

and I wish I could forward my thoughts just as easily as you forward me to voicemail

“I miss you.”

a statement

you’ve always been my person and it’s just now hitting me

I have no idea how to live without you

so tell me, what am I supposed to do

the spot where you used to park your car now vacant

“Goodbye.”

a dead end

words that we never said

at least now you had the truth

but we both knew

things were over between me and you

the hardest thing about our quiet game

is that nobody really won