After she decided to transfer
I drove up
in the snow
through several states
in the hopes
of spending time
with this little girl
I sort of liked.

She let me stay with her
in the flake-ridden north
and we stayed up for hours
wrestling
as she gently,
firmly
repositioned my hands
time and again
softly saying “No,”
a hint I somehow failed to take.

I’m not sure she understood:
I liked her so much
and had travelled so far
and hadn’t seen her in so long
but nevertheless
she persisted.
She resisted
and I was reminded
for the umpteenth time
that you can’t make it on your own.

In the morning
I was gone
for I had other locales to visit in the north
and her place hadn’t proven quite as welcoming
as I’d hoped.