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I stormed away from the house and left

And you didn’t shout at me to come back

I stayed out past midnight

I’d never done that before

 

We’d agreed to argue on the back porch

And kept our voices low so we wouldn’t wake Mom up

Both of us pressed against the bricks

To keep our clothes dry

 

I have this recurring dream:

That I came back later that night

And stared at the house

And wondered if I should apologize

And stood in the rain and cried

And turned around

And walked away without a word

And never came back

The clouds never parted

The wind never stopped blowing

The sun never came out

 

Even in this dream I know

You only get one chance

To get everything right

 

But getting everything right

Is for other kinds of dreams