I said, "I'm done"
You heard, "Fight for me"
I said, "It's not working anymore"
You heard, "Let's fix this"
I said, "You hurt me"
That was all you could hear
You said, "Don't leave"
I heard, "I took you for granted"
You said, "I can change"
I heard, "It'll be this way in two weeks"
That was all I heard as I packed my things
I said, "It's over"
You heard, "I'm going to my mom's to think"
I said, "Good luck, I hope you can be happy"
You heard, "I'll see you tomorrow"
I said, "Goodbye"
And you finally showed an emotion and cried

My mind is tangled threads
my words are knots that choke your working fingers
I can't hear my thoughts
as you expand yourself from speakers
little box in your throat
reminds me of the time I had mono
swollen throat glands and the boy I was
with wore so much blue
it made me sea-sick

and it's all just a tape recorder rewind
I have heard this all before
before I ever heard this
life was flush with wonder
lush
thunderous
and I did not have to coo
or plead
for silence.

You’re probably sitting now
With a glass of cabernet
Sprawled on the couch
Reflecting on your day
Maybe the TV
Is humming along
Singing its song
So you don’t have to
Listen to yours.

You’re heavy with
Loneliness and those
guilty pleasures --
candies --
That you hide
A nervous addiction
Denied
Even though you write it out
In wrappers.

I know I do not fail
To flummox you
You hide it well
But I still see through
“The line’s always open,”
is the urging
Too bad I already
Blew out the fuse