i wish there was something i could do
to keep you here
(safe
warm
willing
happy).

i wish i knew the secret to so many things
so i could make you
laugh
stare
come closer
smile.

i wish i could lie to you,
tell you it's all okay,
tell you it never happened,
it was just a dream, a dream, a dream--
a nightmare where the monsters were fake,
the things crawling inside you, threatening
to spill out and overtake your heart are fake.
(they're fake, darling, they're fakefakefake.)

i wish i could tell you you're
everything you think you're not
(silly
funny
awe-inspiring
beautiful).

but you're not here.
my arms are empty where they once held you.