our outdated haven
of faux wood walls, linoleum
and vacant chairs

$3.69
one small twist,
one small chocolate

i sorted the change into little pyramids
on our two-seat table,
there by the window

you licked soft-serve hearts,
concealing smiles behind cheap napkins

through the venetian blind
we watched the cars flit by and fade
into summer afternoons
you gave each make and model

you always knew the oldie bands
buzzing in the background
the retrospective soundtrack of us,
one hit wonders
destined only to be consumed by the past

for in the end
there was one thing you could not name

that fleeting, fading thing that had gone obsolete inside you
and escaped
the day you wanted to see me,

wanted to see me one last time
because you didn't want to see me ever again.