I swore an oath and
I took it seriously,
As though the very act of
Reciting the words
I had fervently memorized
Could etch them forever
Into the very fibers of my heart.
And every subsequent articulation
Of those specific words
Served only to pluck again
At the heartstrings
That had been vowed,
And the oath was sworn again.

There came a moment, however,
When the foundation of the oath
Was shaken and rattled,
When the purpose for its existence
Was haphazardly cast aside,
And in the blink of an eye,
My oath was compromised.

For the first time in my life,
I let my oath die.
I let my words come to naught
And my name became associated with
"Promise-breaker."

I promised to love you.
And I tried to keep that promise
Even though you had long ago
Chosen to walk away,
But I have to confess,
I can't keep my promise anymore.

Because of the inevitable pain,
There's only one oath I can now make:
I promise to never make another promise.