A decade ago, my alone...forever friend and I (yes, we've known each other for a wonderful ten lonesome years) burned a photograph of a recent unrequited love. At the time, we probably said something cheesy to each other like, "don't worry, when we're 21 everything is going to be so much better." Today, we did the same thing. Different unrequited loves this time. We set fire to their images like sage to a new room. I don't know how much sadness got released, but I do know that looking at the image of the person I used to love and care about was (of course), heartbreaking. Who knows, maybe in another decade I'll be burning another image of another person I used to love. But, to be clear, I don't find any of this sad. The getting there, the experience and the feeling of togetherness are worth the dramatics and all the trauma that comes with heartbreak.
So, here's to looking at you.
