What I have realised over the years

Is the simple fact that there is always a next one

The next one you will try and may not like

The next one that will take your breath away and then fill your lungs to bursting

The next one that will stump you, leave you, and then reappear

The next one that will make you sweat buckets

The next one that will make you dryer as a desert

The next one that will entertain and enlighten

The next one that will stupefy and silence

The next one that holds the next novel concept

The next one that holds the key

The next one to end all the others

The next one that ends that one too

The next one that will bring peace and prosperity

The next one that will bring back violence and poverty

The next one that will drive you insane

And the next one that will champion your sweet, sweet return

But with you, it’s different

There is no next one

There is only you, me, Us.