not my cup of tea

a relationship is like a cup of tea. left out in the open too long and it just grows cold. i'm pensive about how it fell apart - was there something that i didn't do? was it something we could reconcile? when was the turning point? how can it be salvaged? but nothing comes to mind. well, not nothing. correction, a lot of things. so many things that they bump and cancel one another out to become nothing.

passion dissipates like evaporating steam off the wide orifice of a teacup. it's gradual, barely visible, until ultimately, it becomes cold and you're left with nothing but a soggy tea bag, half a cup of amber liquid that stains the glass, and the somber recollection of the warmth that once soothed the soul. now, the longer it sits, the more permanent the stain.

i'd say we were like oil and vinegar. a delightful mix, but never really homogenous. never really coalescing. maybe we needed a shaking. things needed a stir. but we were left sitting on the counter, powerless to stir ourselves, gradually separating into adjacent layers until we were completely distinct. the thin layer of our relationship was the only thing that bound us.

my thoughts are befuddled. too much thinking. i've had the sudden realization of the certain clarity in not thinking. the feeling of not feeling. it may be a bore, but apathy is a great panacea.

i was still waiting for a response when she started gathering her things. i guess that's when she made the conscious decision. she got dressed, put on her coat and went outside. i followed and she gave me one last glance. sheepishly, i asked her if this was it. she nodded, said a quiet yes, got in her car, then left. and as i walked back to an empty house, all that remained was her unfinished tea, now cold, left sitting on the table.

the vestiges of what once was.

we can only live for what the hope of tomorrow brings.