We should do this again!
they said, knowing full well
that this would never happen.

Who knows why some things catch fire?
Who knows why some things don’t?

Or worse, the little flare between
two people that sparks and then dies,
leaving someone inevitably embarrassed
over what was said, what it all seemed
to mean, but–as it turns out–didn’t.

Or maybe the meaning still hangs there,
the words still spoken, unable to be
called back, not as simple as

throwing away the paper cup
and walking out the door.

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For the PAD Chapbook Challenge, Day 29. Prompt: Do it again.