Familiarity

I never really thought we’d live forever
In truth, I knew the end – before we ever even started –
And the truth is that we’d never be together

I knew the notes I played were meant for fading
The somber, sad, sonata of a man so broken-hearted
That he couldn’t see the flaw in silent waiting

I never once believed that you could see me
The boy that was alone, afraid, and endlessly discarded
Neath a smile that seemed effortless and easy

You knew the lyrics written were to show you
How to finally knock upon the door I’m keeping guarded
So that you come inside and I could know you

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Bend

I’ve chosen not to speak
So that I never need to hope or act surprised
Or reassess, by days and weeks
The “what” I said, the “hows and whys”
The meanings as interpreted
Or if a single word I said
Was seen and just unworthy of reply

I’ve chosen not to move
So that I never need to possibly believe
There’ll be a way that doesn’t lose
The very thing I can’t retrieve
The yesterday that wasn’t real
It’s like a wound that doesn’t heal
And words are still the cure I don’t receive

I’ve chosen not to look
So that I never need to see if it’s the end
Or if the very road I took
Was but a dream that I pretend
Was leading up and far away
Instead of down to hear you say
“You’ll break before I ever choose to bend”

Blight

Tell me what altered the view that you beautifully had
In this world, that I seem to recall, I was loath to regale?
What was given or taken or broken that made you so sad?
Tell me, how did your wonderful heart become suddenly pale?

Dark are the words of the cynic I wear on my skin
And yet I entreat you to see what has never been lost
As I fear that you think that an ending must surely begin
I beg you to see not a chasm, but bridges across

Here, as I cling to the shadows and stay out of view
I mourn at the thought of your heart in depths of despair
Ever burdened by loss or the demons you fight to subdue
So I hold to the notion that nothing is beyond repair

Tell me the words and I’ll say them forever again
That the grace of your smile is more than the stars in the night
I’d discard every moniker held and relinquish my pen
If it meant you could see me as anything more than a blight

Turtle

Little turtle,
Once again you’ve hidden in your shell
Retreat, your favorite option
I admit, you do it well

Little turtle,
Why, when facing such a simple choice
Of having nerve, and using words
You always lose your voice?

Little turtle,
There you are, obsessed with your defense
When none was ever needed then
And none is needed hence

Little turtle,
How long in your shell will you remain
When you could merely come without
And, with your words, explain

Little turtle,
Fear for you, I do, when this you choose
To hide yourself away in fear
When darkness so ensues

Little turtle,
Tell me if and when you’ll finally see
You’ve made yourself a prisoner
Of dangers not to be

Little turtle,
Do you think I harbor such a will
That knowingly would do you harm
Or spite you with a quill?

Little turtle,
Let me tell you, clearly, if I may
I merely wish you’d leave your shell
And say to me the words you need to say

Converse

What if there’s a world that isn’t here
And in it, from my life, you opted not to disappear
Where every given message was a moment giving cheer
And nightly we still both profess, “I wish that you were here”

What if there’s a morning yet to come
And in it were the words, “I can forgive the things you’ve done”
Where feeling was renewed in all the parts of us we numb
And held we to the hope that you and I could still be one

What if there’s a way to make amends
And in it, you and I could find a way to still be friends
Where keeping our beginning didn’t guarantee our end
And what we used to have was something we could have again

What if there’s a way to make it true
And all that it would take is for us both to see it through
To finally have the conversation so long overdue
So let me try to start by saying, “Tell me, how are you?”