fire danced
so elegantly
in your eyes

while my house was burning

and the match
was clenched between
your teeth

One-sided glass keeps your eyes from mine
hides half-remembered words from another day.
every excuse I've made to cover myself
never feels like your touch should.
Selfish desires burn the ground beneath my feet
but your footsteps echo in another room
where the blood doesn't pound in your veins,
where the glass shows you yourself.
And maybe my fists could shatter that glass,
but I don't want to face
the look in your eyes
the red on my knuckles
my nerves screaming
my breath coming short
when you take up all the air in the room.
No, I'm staying over here
calling it biding my time,
watching sand rush through the hourglass,
trying to compensate for the days I spend
pretending that you can see me,
staring at the smudges my hands have left on the glass.
Yes, I'm staying over here
while they tell me I'm wasting my time
waiting for you to remember
those half-forgotten words from another day.

It rained
and rained
for months on end
I was fine with the rain
until I was standing
alone
and it began to storm.
I was shaking
beneath the weight
of my umbrella
that I stubbornly clung to
until one day
rain, rain
finally
it went away
never
to come another day
everyone told me
the skies could only get bluer
and the sun
proved them right
as it broke
through the clouds
and I saw
a rainbow:
you.

Do not convince yourself
that dreaming is loving
do not make the mistake
of falling in love with a moment
and thinking that you're in love
the memories become daydreams
the daydreams become feelings
but those daydreams are a shadow
and those feelings are shallow
do not lose yourself
in the idea of love.

I was never much one for lavender
until you told me
it was your favorite
and suddenly
its sweet, sweet scent swept through
my room
my clothes
my hair
I held my breath
waiting for you to notice
(you never did say anything)
I kept it close to me
never asking myself
if I liked the way it smelled
it was your favorite.