What if We Wrote the Same Thing

What if we wrote the same thing at the same time?

words spilling out like rain,

in a place where rain never falls

still, but certain,

stirring the stillness like a secret,

just waiting to bloom,

to break,

to be seen.

What if the letters met halfway?

a sentence unfinished,

but still whole

each thought reaching across

like shadows brushing daylight,

unsure where the line begins,

unsure where it fades,

a quiet flutter tugging at the space between.

What if we missed each other

by a breath,

a moment that might have been

an entire lifetime

between two keystrokes?

And we never knew

what slipped between the silences,

never knew what might have risen

if only we had whispered closer,

whispered clearer.

What if our words were never ours?

but echoes borrowed from elsewhere,

fragments of things unspoken,

untouched,

drifting through the stillness between us

repeating,

repeating,

until all that’s left

is the ghost of a thought,

half-shaped,

half-lost,

a murmur still moving somewhere

in the space we never crossed.

What if we wrote the same thing?

and never saw it

the ink between breaths,

the breath between letters,

where nothing was spoken,

but everything was understood,

a truth blooming in the stillness,

a thread knotted in what we never dared to finish.

Reviews

[DIVYA]

Dear Belle,

It's often that I think of the what-ifs. The universe consists of unending possibilities and this poem is alive with them too. In every verse, you have left the reader a question, one that draws them to their own emotional landscape and the what-ifs that drift unspoken there. I especially loved the following lines and somehow they gave me goosebumps:

What if we missed each other
by a breath,
a moment that might have been
an entire lifetime
between two keystrokes?

The fact that countless people may have missed their soulmates by a hairbreadth, a keystroke, a wink. It feels so mystical. This was a wonderful read. Missed you and I'll be back to read more of your poetry.

[Davidgeo]

At the same time? That's how you get turbo herpes and/or rock n' roll chlamydia.

I do like your style though. Reminds me of how I got my own turbo herpes.

[Belle]

Some poems recognize each other and rest. ☺️

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, what if the letters did meet halfway?

This is an interesting concept....I have thought about this before but more in terms of patents on inventions. And what if two people invented something at the same time but on opposite ends of the world.

I would love to read the "ink between breaths"---

[Belle]

Yes, exactly. It feels like ideas live in a collective consciousness and sometimes we simply tune in at the same momemt. It reminds me of the Iliad and the Mahabharata, stories that arose from shared memory and time, long before this subtle space where we worry about ownership and copyright.

[Thomas W Case]

This feels like two minds almost touching — that suspended moment where language hesitates and meaning lives in the silence. The repetition of “What if” builds a quiet ache, and the idea of words missing each other by a breath is devastatingly human. Beautiful, restrained, and lingering.

[Belle]

It really does.
Those near-touches feel so human, where meaning lingers just beyond language.

Thank you for telling that ache again.

[A.H.]

what if's? the questions and answers, thoughts and actions..
life is an unfinished business, many a times, missed chances and missed opportunities.
this writing is deep, emotive and layered. enjoyed reading it and kept me interested in thoughts. thanks for sharing, Belle.

[Lorry]

I reckon that our first thought would be the other plagiarised our work, but I can be so cynical at times! 😃
But then you take it further with missed words and further still by us just recycling old lines and this turns itself into a really thought provoking piece.
Can we ever be truly sure our words are our own, especially when the muse gets so much credit for our work.
I have no answers, but I reckon that the muse must be doing okay out of it all!
😃