Ledge

My little boy told me a few days ago that he really liked this girl in his class. He said, with the kind of serious face that can only come from a seven year old, “But I won’t ever tell her.”  I almost laughed, but then stopped, because if he was this serious, then I must also be serious, you know? So I asked him why he wouldn’t tell her. He said, “Because then, everything will change.”

Yes, my dearheart, everything changes. I guess it depends on if you want everything to change, or let it stay just as it is. 

 

She sat beside him
on the roof of the building
feet dangling
and they watched the night close over the city.

Even from such great heights
they could hear the crickets
orchestrating the moon’s rise in the sky
and filling the air with the sound of Spring.

Shoulders touching, they both stared out at the
sky above the city, watching the stars appear
one after another, in a kind of
celestial celebration.

She said to him, softly,
I will never tell you how I really feel about you
because this would change…
this thing we do all the time,
it would change and nothing would ever be the same.
So I can never tell you.

He glanced over at her and smiled,
nudging her shoulder with his and
shaking his head.
He said,
You just did.