i saw a picture of you with her today
many who saw seemed to ignore
the fact that i was, in fact, yours
at such a recent time
people complimented the two of you,
what a wonderful pair;
it took everything in me not to
pitch my phone to the concrete.

i told you i had nothing left to say
but now as i catch glimpses of
your smile directed at someone else
and overhear broken pieces of
lighthearted conversations that
sound like ones we used to share,
my mind swells with thoughts
that won't slip past my teeth.

i keep telling myself i'll be okay*
without the expectation that
you would so easily find someone new
to confide in, to trust like i trusted you;
now, as i watch you stop mid-stride
to talk to her,
now that i can see you looking
at someone the same way
you looked at me when you told me
i meant everything and more to you,
i stop believing the mantras
i've been repeating.

t.m.