The aquarium.
our first date
called me sweetheart
like she invented the word
she wrote me love letters
kissed me like I was the last man on earth
on her knees
she smiled
and swallowed
like I was a secret
meant to be forgotten
she made it feel sacred
and for longer than I care to admit
I believed her
the soft curves of her breasts
disguised the hard edges underneath
then one day
the letters stopped
the i-love-yous turned into
why-aren’t-yous
she picked fights over nothing
and everything
my silence,
my breathing,
my need to be seen,
and I-
thought if I just said the right thing
I could resurrect the girl from the first act,
instead
I watched her perform the same role
with a new audience.
same aquarium
different fish
love came easy to her
until it didn’t.
I wasn’t a lover.
I was a reflection.
And when the mirror cracked.
She vanished.
And me?
I kept calling back,
trying to breathe life into a ghost,
trying to rewrite an ending
that was never in my hands.
