how often

i had

confused your

outstretched hands

as a gesture of your

need for me.

i thought your words,

of poetry,

were songs my soul

could sing and dare

to dream again.

i thought your

whispered promises

would cradle and comfort

the hurts that

lingered

and remained.

i had convinced

myself

that you were sharing

affection,

when in fact,

you were

just leading me along.

looking back,

through the years

i see the tears,

and the constant

tug of pulling apart.

i see just how

close to the edge

i was spinning.

misreading

so many signals.

seeing love where

there was only pain.

those long stretches

of stoic silence

where you just

stared ahead…

never once looking

into my eyes,

sad reflections

that just longed to gaze

and drink from yours.

i realize now,

there was never a chain

that linked us together,

nor a tether that tied

your heart to mine…

it was simply

one lonely soul

seeking a bit

of solace from

solitude’s smothering

embrace.