Yes,
I meant it when I smiled.
No,
it wasn't what you thought.

Yes,
the rain felt like a kind of washing.
No,
I didn't want to be clean.

Yes,
I stayed because the air was warm.
No,
not because I was unafraid.

Yes,
I heard the way you said my name-
as if it could stay whole in your mouth.
No,
I never did.

Yes,
there is a version of this story
where we choose each other.
No,
we don't live in that one.

Yes,
I still carry the weight of almost.
No,
it doesn't get lighter.