Why Aren’t We Strangers?

It takes just a smile
And two kind words
For two strangers
To become friends.
For us, a borrowed pen
And a couple of jokes
Was more than enough.

As the sands of time slipped by,
Gags were shared
And secrets spilled over the brim.
But one fine day, everything went wrong.
Who was the cause? Who was to blame?
Why did we confide in each other,
Everything that was concealed from others?
Why did we expect from each other,
Only to hurt and get hurt in return?
Why didn’t we choose to remain
Strange and aloof to each other,
Exchanging pleasantries as a norm?
We fought and made up.
But the strains refused to fade away.

Now we both wear a mask.
Mask of indifference and apathy.
Our conversations are just a formality
For each other’s sake.
We fall silent now and then
And those long silent pauses
Hit like darts
And shatter my mask,
Revealing the turmoil of emotions beneath it.
But you have turned your back
And moved on,
With your mask still intact.
I gather the pieces of my mask back
For I need it again.
And I surrender myself
To a dreadful truth.
Friends for namesake,
We are worse than strangers.