the conversation

it begins
with a nice conversation over
coffee.

the weather, work.
sports.

then he wants
to talk politics. religion.

race relations.
rewriting history.
tearing down statues

and redefining life and culture.
he veers off into
the dark zones of conspiracy.

it's exhausting.

there used to be a time
when we sat
and talked

about the new girl down the block.
how cute
she was.

we'd wonder if
we should go play catch
in front of her

house to grab her attention.