It took one look to love her,
two years to tell her,
three tries to ask her
if she'd stay with him forever,
five lies to realize
the mistake that he had made,
six drinks and seven pills
to make her go away.

Do you ever stop to wonder,
as you go about your day,
what if things had been different
or had gone another way?

What if the Sun decided
that it deserved a break,
and instead of shining,
it refused to wake?

What if the happy rainbow
had gone a little pale,
or the grumpy rain cloud
cried tears that never fell?

What if every flower
had burrowed underground,
and every chatty songbird
didn't make a sound?

What if your reflection
couldn't look you in the eye,
and any sound you uttered
just came out as a sigh?

What if no one glanced your way
as you stumbled through the streets,
and no one had a thing to say
when you struggled to speak?

What if everything you knew
had simply gone awry,
and every pleasant hello
was a horrible goodbye?

What if every what if
was a harsh reality
that hasn't happened quite yet,
and was just waiting to be?

I left hoping you'd miss me,
but when I returned,
I was just

a memory.

I asked the wizard
for a heart,
but he'd given them
all away.
He said, "I can order one,
But it won't arrive
for three-to-five
business days.

"A heart of gold,
a heart of coal,
a heart as cold as ice;
slightly damaged,
slightly used,
a heart as dead as night."

I said, "Anything
with a beat or two
should be all right."

He's lost his marbles
on my hardwood floor.
I keep stumbling
trying to reach the door.
It'll take a little patience
to collect them
one by one,
but he says
it'll be worth the trouble
when the job is done.

He's spilt his red wine
on my favorite dress.
Droplets of strawberry nectar
dribble down my chest.
It'll take a little trying
to remove them
stain by stain,
but he says
in the end
it'll be worth the strain.

He's spiked my Cherry Cola
with an eight ball of love.
He calls me pathetic
because I can't get enough.
When the saccharine haze
finally wears me thin,
I just can't stop crumbling.
It's so humbling
to be his
one and only
true mistake.

He's left my withered heart
on our satin sheets.
It may not work correctly,
but it still beats.
It'll take a little nerve
to lace it
vein by vein,
but I know
it'll never be the same.