By Chris Faunce

Once you know someone,
you will never unknow them.

After you depart,
they will be a knock on the door,
the silence on your phone.

You’ll see them in your dreams
and be reunited in a mysterious place.

Maybe you’ll wake up and remember
they’re not there, gone
three months ago,
three years ago,
three decades ago.

There they are, in the face across
the street—

Never mind, just another vision of
redemption or belief.

You hold on as if to hold on,
then let go, excusing yourself
for your distaste of resolution,
each friendship lasting forever until it passes you by.

About the Author

Chris Faunce is a writer from Pennsylvania. He graduated from Drexel University in 2023 with a degree in Civil Engineering. He won Drexel University's Creative Writing Award for Poetry in 2019.