Once upon a time

Once upon a time we were not scared of life.

You took a plane and flew to Chile with no real plan, just a hunch.
I moved into a Dutch squat.

We cycled together drunk at night on one bike under the snow in the -18º German winter

I walked alone 800 km through Spain
You moved to Nicaragua

You taught Dutch to Spanish speaking migrants
I organized the Chilean expats to help fisherwomen after the earthquake

We laid down stargazing at Taksim Square in Istambul

Once upon a time we accidentally met each other at the Commelinstraat and had breakfast with fresh strawberries

We dated musicians
We hitchhiked with hippies driving a van
We sent each other postcards
We explained the frame of the frame of the frame in our last class in Amsterdam

Once upon a time I married a man I knew for a bit more than a year.
Once upon a time you lost your cloth at a Zanzibar beach.

We pretended we were a lesbian couple to get us a flat

I sang happy birthday to you holding a croissant with a candle next to two strangers at the Pony bar
You wrote for the In Transit travel blog of The New York Times

You guided me through Vondelpark at night
I drove you to Matanzas and Navidad

We shared a room
Watched political and nature documentaries
Did online yoga for pregnant women

We cycled 80 km at night on the highway

We spoke English, Spanish, Dutch, Spanglish

You moved to Belgium with a Chilean man
I stayed in Chile and separated from my Dutch husband

Once upon a time we were so full of life

So free of fear.