I Almost Liked Her Poem by Raj Dronamraju

Don't get upset but there's an alternate tableaux
I am on the verge of remembering another life, mostly similar but with a few important differences
Falling in and out of consciousness and into a place where I almost liked her

Couldn't quite bring myself to embrace you, no matter how alone I was
You make love like rent control
Now that everyone gets in, it no longer means anything
Liked you when you were unfriendly and history was a narrow alleyway not leading anywhere

Your pale tubercular sweaty skin is a trap
The immediate kill or slow acting poison
I want to open a window when confronted by a stuffy stifling succubus
With black pupil eyes like an abandoned quarry filled with rain

I am closer than horseshoes/hand grenades
Where I am from, I looked down at her from afar
Polite greetings when running into each other
A sneer appearing on my face as I turn and walk away