today

i was riding my bike

and along my way back

i saw another rider

cruising along the road 

that intersected with mine

i couldn't tell who they were

bright blue shirt

that's the only detail i could see

and they crossed paths with me

so i rode harder

curious as to who else would be down here

no one else goes down that road like i do

so i turned the corner

determined to see

but slowly

they disappeared into the horizon

and i was left pedaling

panting

clueless

i turned into my driveway

and i could still see a little blue speck in the distance

and i thought,

maybe i could catch them if i tried hard enough

a senseless part of me wondered if it was him

coming back like he promised

and then leaving when he realized i wasn't there

it's me, i cried, desperately

it's me

ashlynn

i'm here

i'm still right here

you only missed me by a second

i'm still here

but it wasn't him

and he wasn't coming back

i was screaming at nobody

a small part of me

wanted to keep following the bike

just to see who it was

but it was getting dark

and a storm was rolling in

and the traffic was getting bad

so i went inside

because

like i was taught

curiosity killed the cat