once upon a time we tried to build bridges, eyes refusing to meet as we constructed arches out of steel and resentment. and then came the day when we burned those bridges that we had crafted with stiff fingers and we watched the flames devour the metal, the explosive glow reflected in the glassiness of our eyes. i watched our creation burn to the ground. we heard the crackling of the embers and tasted the ashes on our tongues when we opened our mouths to gasp for air blackened by the heat. i felt as though my insides were boiling when the wind blew away the soot and the land was flat and clear. i saw the same nothingness that had stopped fueling the fire between you and me. a sight to behold, a site to behold. just when the sky was flooded with inky-black and scattered with stars, i could feel my pulse quicken and my fingers uncurl. when i turned around, you grabbed my shoulders and reminded me why i never became anchorless. with you or without you, there is still a fight and i refuse to surrender myself to a dream; there is a reality that only we understand, so we will pick up the twisted steel and bolts and, side-by-side, assemble a new bridge and never again turn our heads.