We Were Living in the Good Old Days

We are standing in tomorrow’s photographs
— mid-sip, mid-smile —
And the lighting is kinder than we thought

Our bravest acts were not canon shots
But steps on a silent march through the streets
Our bravest acts weren’t fireworks
They were taps on the screen:
“I’m downstairs, no rush”
“Just got here”
“I miss you”
Tiny traces of profound permissions into each other’s lives

We kept waiting for the grand orchestra
But it was already tuned in the background
The ding of the microwave
The dishwasher’s soft timpani
Radiators breathing like aging dragons
Keys in a bowl
The mailbox lid clapping

Just the sounds of us.

Remember when we matched because our eyes said so?
That’s how I met the love of my life
Now they match because AIs say so
Fooled by the autonomy of a swipe
Remember how I lingered on the phone?
Two grownups pretending the call couldn’t end.

We took the long way home
Just to seize scents, savory and sweet
As we carried each other’s hands
Like dahlias in bloom

We dressed up on Sundays to worship together
Always finding time, still, to worship each other
With tea handed without ceremony
And the soft incantation of “Did you eat?”

Elevators took so long
We meditated like monks
Counting floors
As if they were rosary beads

Elevators took so long
We cursed like Sparrow
And felt better
Either way, time was teaching us
To be inside it

The errands were the pilgrimage
We had to go to the post office
To stand in a small republic of patience
And buy stamps with birds
So our letters could fly

Love wasn’t the headline
It was the closing paragraph that saved the poem
Your hand finding mine on the crosswalk
The way you said my name like a place you lived

If we had known
We might have bowed to the bowl of cereal
Raised a glass to the trash schedule
And let pasta and meatballs be perfect
Because we made them

Remember when we made friends with strangers at a cafe?
Not knowing where the journey ends
Just celebrating where it began
So, seat there and smile for this photograph
Tomorrow does not know how good we have it