Of course I knew him. We were intimate
young lovers all through college. We revealed
ourselves to one another, tried to fit
the romance in our visions. Neither kneeled,
but we embraced. We might have made a go
of us, except his mother’s suicide
derailed him, caused a pause and cast him low.
I couldn’t flourish at the pace we tried.

Achieving friendship as the decades flowed,
we stayed in touch. He visited at times.
We furthered our acquaintance. Now I know
his family was poor compared to mine,
his parents flaky, and himself devout.
The love I thought I understood I doubt.