Pale outline of your crooked hand,
I have no strength to grasp it
Consolation on your breath,
I have no heart to hear it
Press of tangled fingers is
Engrained in my palm,
I cannot seem to forget it
Your smile swallows me
Brings me nearer to the divide
Makes me teeter on the brink
But I will fall away, into
Unforgiving silences and mute gazes
Disappoint you, hands and heart
Too mismatched for your ardor
I’ll push harder until all I see
Is your retreating shadow
Then I will breathe a sigh,
Feel the pinch of melancholy
For a swift moment in the dark
And eventually, convince myself
It was all for the best