cheerful yelps and applause fade into the unwinding road behind us
as we increase speed towards the rest of our lives
i’m much too wound up in the concept of a promise, a string of words put together so perfectly
like the silver trinkets clanking against the asphalt
underneath a plate that reads “JSTMRED”
i notice the dead end just over the hill
you keep your eyes on the road

wound so tightly around a pinky
tangled in promises
bittersweet commitment
mesmerized by dusty pink skies
glistening speckles in his eyes
banished from the garden of eden-
ever after
from just a taste of longing

***** socks, wrinkled sweaters, tired eyes
i always noticed the little things
clammy palms, chapped lips, weary bones
the little things
i never wanted to miss
like the way my name escaped between your lips
landing on my ears like feathers
i wondered if her name sounded just as soft
i noticed the crinkles in your eyes
and in the corners of your smile
but not your absent gazes,
probably thinking of her smile, and other faces
or how i somehow missed the train to your thoughts

fool me once, i heard somewhere before
fool me twice, maybe three or four
i'll count every single time
because i always noticed the little things