Marty works over-time
as a janitor
cleaning up after bright eyed students
employed at a college
he can't afford
to send his kids to

when things started going south
I told him as often as I could
how amazing I thought he was
thinking he would want to return
to someone who would choose him over the world
but the problem was
he wasn't amazing
yet he kept reaching me
drinking up my compliments
in those night hours of depression
where he felt sorry for himself
and I was desperately there
clinging to the hope that he would come back
if I continued to pour my everything into him
the days were the worst
because I couldn't even pretend
that our relationship would mend itself
until evening came
and he would need me
to stroke his ever fragile male ego
however, it was my fault for obliging
I would weaken myself to hear his voice
how dare he tell me
that I looked pretty crying
as he crushed the heart he promised never to hurt
how dare he re-confess his feelings
and say he wants nothing to do with me
in the same amazing sentence

360 cameras
not a single one in the dome
and yet
they aren't missed
we finally revamped security
who cares if they don't pick up my smiles on a screen?
I'll admit to sneaking in once...
the following times, well
I'd never tell
politely, I left

talk is cheap
I can't afford words
with a pocket full of cash
I'll use inflation as my scapegoat
when you're a store clerk
I'm a kid with troubled eyes
I'll spend my vacant stares like currency
and spare change on vocabularies