September 4th, 2019

Innocence of words
Exchanges between two
Always the first step
And that’s how I met you
Initiating

Questioning intentions
Teetering the line
Is this a friendship
Or do you want to be mine
Experimenting

A flame begins to burn
I know this is real
Space disappears
And it’s you that I feel
Intensifying

A relationship builds
Without being planned
Two become one
Hand in hand
Integrating

We could spend days together
But I’d still want more time
Two against the world
Planning for a lifetime
Bonding

We still have our own identities
We bring different things to the table
And that is okay
When the foundation is stable
Differentiating

But in uncharted territory
Things quickly change
And someone you love
Can become someone estranged
Circumscribing

We’re questioning each other
I’m feeling uncertain
When I’ve found there’s a stranger
Living under the curtain
Stagnating

And not talking becomes easier
We can just look away
A love becomes scorned
From our new disarray
Avoiding

Silence becomes deadly
When we can’t even pretend
So as the flame flickers out
We come to an end
Terminating

Note: Inspired by Knapp’s Model of Relational Development