NOT QUITE PAST IT...

He was young and dumb. The most cliché of all cliche's, and yet the honest reality of who he was then. In fact, they were both young and dumb, but isn’t that when love is the best? A young and dumb love, with all of its fullness and richness; its flames not dampened down by the wet hurricane winds of what can only be described as adulthood. It was as pure and simple as the phrase, “boy meets girl”. But boy breaks girl’s heart, into many, many pieces, as boys often do at that age. It hurts him to see her now, all grown up, living a life he plays no part in, in a world he does not exist. He looks into her eyes and he sees his younger self, the silly, idiotic boy with the charming smile and best of intentions. She reminds him of Friday night lights and heavy schoolbooks, of crowded hallways and movie make out sessions. She reminds him of a pureness he had, long, long ago, before the world got to him. Holding her child he can’t help but wonder, who he would have been, who they would have been, and he can feel the eyes on him, most wondering the same.  The young girl’s smile is almost enough to destroy him, as if she knows him, or believes she was supposed to somehow. He walked through the city where nothing had seemed to change and yet everything was different; Where everything was as familiar as it was unrecognizable. He packed his bags and readied himself to move forward, always forward….but he looked back one last time, and although it was his past he knew, he was not quite past it.