I miss that time

          Spent without care

When we were strangers

          And nothing more

 

He meant nothing

          No friend, nor foe

Until he boasted

          About his scores

 

Competition,

          The burn of thrill

I turned it into

          A full on war

 

We know damn well

          It’s both our faults

That a spark of flame

          Became a roar

 

Sometimes my gaze

          Slams into his

A tension so bright

          It almost shines

 

But we do not

          Exchange a word

Conversing instead

          Through subtle signs

 

We are simply

          Not this, nor that

Just the blurred red shades

          Between the lines

 

And I still wish for the days

When my heart was just mine

 

Written by Amy Zuo and edited by Aaron Huang. Published on 12/08/23. Header image by Felix Yang.