We weren't quite yet old enough for a high school reunion, and not quite close enough to become Facebook friends or follow each other on Twitter. And yet, here we were. Jack had been one of my best ... [+]
honky-tonk, long-term, six-pack, full-time
We dropped the dash like
butterfingers, afterthought, upstream, everything
We fit the mold, independently, like
half of something more complex
We simplified it;
I stepped forward when you stepped back
You stepped forward when I stepped back;
We blended into one word,
A portmanteau, like
spork, smog, froyo, brunch
A portmanteau is a suitcase
It opens into halves
I don't think we've closed up
But we have less friends than before
Or we see them less. And I worry
They don't care
/don't know
If I'm smoke or if you're breakfast
Because I can't even remember
When we leave together
We will pack separate bags
And I will have to
I will pull my roots out like
Etymology can help us