seeing an old friend
one you haven’t seen in a while

a cigarette after a long while
a star map, wondering, gazing after a long while

a sadness dating back
to when you cut your brother’s hair
in that tiny apartment bathroom as a kid

a sadness as the hair grows over your baby girl’s ears,
growing is a sadness

a sadness and a loneliness
like at a concert when the band shouts,
“this is a sad song”

so you drunkenly shout, “sadness!”
to a crowd of sad people who gobble it up

sad, and cold

a sadness only winter knows
like an old friend

and a new one,
that’s moved on
because it wasn’t their time for such sadness.