Perfect Strangers

We all have experienced
an end to a relationship,
be it a friendship or romantic.

Sometimes it comes suddenly and unexpectedly.

Sometimes.

Most of the time, however,
there underlie some tell-tale signs.

Some signs that
we choose to overlook
for the sake of sticking with them
for as long as possible.

But you cannot help
but be reminded
of those signs.

The response time between texts
start getting longer and longer,
to the point that you text one another
once in a blue moon.

The phone calls become much shorter
and way much more concise.

You may have had conversations
that lasted for hours,
but now you're lucky if they last
at least an hour.

The conversations,
which used to be deep,
are reduced to the typical conversations
between co-workers or acquaintances.

They are reduced to:
"Good morning!"
"Good morning! How are you?"
"Good and you?"
"Good too! How's yourday going?"
"Good and yours?"
"Good too!"
"Good!"
"Well I gotta go now. Have a good one!"
"Alright have a good one!"
"Good day!"

So many "goods",
but nothing is ever really "good".

And the worst part is,
that there is nothing,
absolutely nothing,
that you can do to stop this.

It's like a play playing itself out,
and the third act is concluding,
and you already see the credits rolling
before they are even placed up on the screen.

And all you do
is hope and pray
that this day never happens.

And then it does.

What sucks the most
is when you start to become acquaintances
with people you were once so close to.

And all you can really do
is sheepishly watch
the story unfold.

And slowly, but surely,
people that were once close to you
start to become perfect strangers.