when i was in high school
i sat through class after class
learning things i didn't particularly care about
from skimming torn up copies of "Of Mice and Men"
to consistently failing every math test i ever took
i was a mess of glazed over eyes and too much makeup
staring at the clock waiting for the day to tick by
it would be fair to say that i absorbed little
to no information

but one day in science class
the teacher gave us a lesson on newtons laws
newtons third law of motion states that
for every action there is an equal an opposite reaction
that law made sense to me
until years later
when you told me you loved me
and i could not say it back

i remember being wrapped in your arms
the only place where the monsters inside my rib cage stopped trying to claw their way out
your words strong and brave like a pack of wolves on a hunt for my beating heart
i looked into your eyes and
saw a world of wonder that i would never get to explore
and i wonder if you saw an abandoned theme park with a no trespassing sign
when you looked into mine
you found beauty in me when everyone else
only saw the weeds sprouting from the cracks in my pavement
I was a burning house and you were a brave hero
running inside to save the children trapped in the attic
but it wasn't long until you realized that
you can not flip a person
in the same way that you can flip a house
when you replaced my windows
and the neighborhood kids threw bricks
through the glass
when you repainted my walls
that soon came crumbling down
your love was a quick fix that i knew would not last

newtons third law of motion states
that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
that made sense to me
until a few years later
when i finally told you i loved you
and your response was
"but i don't love you"