fairy tale ending

what happens beyond “they lived happily ever after”?

a story feigns closure, a child goes to sleep, 

but it can’t all be sunshine and laughter;

lore becomes legend becomes memories we gather

now that our text messages are all on—read

the signs; this happily ever after

has become just another Adele song, no sadder,

i’m recounting the late nights we’d stare into a screen,

guess i should snap out of it, face the music and laughter

we once shared, but i keep getting stuck doing the latter; 

we cancelled the football game, acknowledged, and agreed

that we’re both incomplete, what is “happily ever after”?

i want to say it’s displaced rather 

than concede to reality; now that we don't speak

every memory i try to delete—was it my laughter

that you were after? forget it. this doesn’t matter:

the story neither one of us believes

has become our own happily ever after;

but instead of applause, i just hear empty laughter.