Cheryl's Vibe Poem by James Haedle

*VERSE 1 — THE SETUP*
1. We met at a couples retreat, funny how it started,
2. She thought I came for someone else, I played it cool regardless,
3. But truth was I was watching her, quietly, regardless,
4. Her friend gave her up like a secret, said, "Bro, she's the hardest."
5. We started talking 'bout her, then talking about us,
6. One conversation turned to two, then suddenly it was trust,
7. Bait was set, hook, line, sink — I knew my way in,
8. Day turned night, night turned morning, conversation wouldn't end.
9. We spoke day and night, no limits on the talking,
10. She'd whisper little things that had my imagination walking,
11. Chemistry was loud, even when the room was silent,
12. Two strangers getting closer, both pretending to be timeless.
13. Couple dates, weekend later, every road became a detour,
14. Every boundary that we drew somehow became another door,
15. I thought I'd found a feeling that I'd never felt before,
16. I walked into the moment thinking maybe this was more.

CHORUS
I met a girl, spoke to a girl,
Got these wild thoughts about a girl,
Felt like a dream when I got close to this girl,
Somewhere along the line, fell in love with that girl.

Now I'm making melodies, singing 'bout a girl,
Writing all these memories, thinking 'bout a girl,
Funny how I built a world around a girl,
That was never really mine — still I call her my vibe.

⸻
VERSE 2 — THE ILLUSION
1. She had me seeing futures in a hundred different frames,
2. Every version of tomorrow had her somewhere in the name,
3. My heart was doing overtime, my mind was doing the same,
4. I was writing our forever while she was living for today.
5. Had me thinking this could last, had me thinking this was real,
6. Every touch became a promise, every moment made me feel,
7. Like maybe all the things I'd feared were finally gonna heal,
8. I wasn't just enjoying her — I was catching something real.
9. Something felt off, but I ignored what I was sensing,
10. Thought she wanted all of me, thought we both had the same intention,
11. I was reading every signal like a message from the heavens,
12. While she was counting moments like another item off her checklist.
13. Temporary feelings wearing permanent disguises,
14. I was looking at forever, she was looking for excitement,
15. I called it love because my heart had made its mind up,
16. She called it something else — I just didn't see the signs yet.

CHORUS
I met a girl, spoke to a girl,
Got these wild thoughts about a girl,
Felt like a dream when I got close to this girl,
Somewhere along the line, fell in love with that girl.

Now I'm making melodies, singing 'bout a girl,
Writing all these memories, thinking 'bout a girl,
Funny how I built a world around a girl,
That was never really mine — still I call her my vibe.

VERSE 3 — THE SHIPWRECK
1. Then came the missed calls, unread messages, silence,
2. Same phone in my hand, but the energy was different,
3. Tried to plug the holes, tried to keep the ship floating,
4. But every time I reached for her, she gave me reasons not to.
5. She kept pointing out the places where we'd never make it home,
6. I kept repairing damage on a ship I sailed alone,
7. Thought if I could love her harder, we could somehow change the course,
8. But you can't make somebody stay when they've already left the port.
9. Sooner or later, I discovered she had jumped ship,
10. No warning, no goodbye, just a disappearing signal,
11. And everything I thought was ours became a story I was telling,
12. Funny how forever disappears when only one heart means it.
13. Now I'm sailing home, singing rhythm and blues,
14. About a beautiful disaster that I never got to choose,
15. Everybody thought I'd found the one — turns out it was smoke and mirrors,
16. The only thing that stayed with me was my reflection in the mirror.