She reaches out to him and takes his hand. In the silence, he feels terrified of her. So many words roll around his tongue but he swallows them back, leaving him breathless.

Her eyes smile under the sunset set as she blows upon a dandelion. The gossamer seeds dance away as she looks at him. He follows the curve of her lips and knows what she has wished for.

Long-lost boy, this is the moment you have always wanted yet hoped it would never come.

He kisses her.

Wishes fade with time as he finds her down by the willow that once fair Ophelia had rested long ago. The water swirls below as dragonflies hunt above the flower petals, she is so close to letting go that it scares him. Fear returns which suffocates the rising words.

Cowardly boy, what should you say when you’ve broken the heart of the girl you loved?

Aware of the tear sliding down her right cheek, he remains silent. Weighted veil of guilt drops over him; it’s hard to breathe. The laconism hangs over them both.  He finally takes her hand and promises no more weeping.

Time swirls around and when it stops it is soon discovered the only thing that breaks more exquisitely than her heart is his promise. She holds onto his words until he slips away like a warm summer breeze. As the sun sets on their time, he disappears into the night lost between fireflies and shooting stars. He leaves a note pinned to the willow.

letting go of love
hurting the one who loves most
searching where I belong

Days drift away like balloons on an airy day. She returns often to the willow trying to remember the whispered oh-so-sweet lies that landed in her heart. She rests her hands upon her chest wondering if it was worth trying. She decides that we can’t all be in love.

She sees a dandelion seed resting on a petal. She picks it up and allows it to dance on the tip of her finger. She closes her eyes and breathes out…

wishing one last time
dancing sigh upon bird songs
heart blossoms again

*****************************

Written for Haibun Thinking

I used the quote, ““Don’t forget – I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy,
asking him to love her.” from Notting Hill.