spaces between

in the crowded train i find myself measuring the distance between two people. not just any two people but those who have chosen to sit together. the way they angle their bodies away from each other or lean in so close their heads almost touch. the space between them is a map of their relationship i want to decipher. sometimes it's a narrow slit of air that separates them a boundary so fragile it might collapse at any moment. other times it's a chasm a void that seems to swallow all the words they don't say to each other. i think about my own relationships the way i leave space or try to fill it with words that hang in the air like mist. the train lurches forward and the woman opposite me stumbles into her companion their arms brushing against each other. they exchange a glance a flicker of apology and recognition. in this fleeting moment i glimpse the intricate dance of two people navigating their own geography of closeness and withdrawal. as the train rumbles on i wonder what lies within the spaces between us what unseen forces shape the distances we keep or bridge.