I didn’t take your innocence;
it was already gone
when I got there.
I’ve never taken
without leaving,
but I didn’t know
what you might bear.
From the gift of my tongue
that I gave you;
did the words from my lips
betray you?
They did feel every part of you.
What did my hands take from you?
Did my heart
leave a mark
on your vision?
Did I burden you
when I went missing?
I think that the night
was our accomplice
and we tried to steal
each other’s pain.
When we never really parted ways,
just a smile and a wave.
Sometimes I wonder how you are these days
and if you ever really found that place,
away from all that pain you used to bear.
I’m sorry that I didn’t take my share.
I had my own burdens just sitting there,
waiting for me.
I don’t reflect upon the “could have been”,
for I have seen
and I believe,
you’re better now than I could ever be.
I hope it’s you
who took something from me.
We both made a great many mistakes.
So many things we had
that tried to break
us down,
but now we’re both in different states.
This is one of the few we didn’t make.
So if you see me,
just smile and wave,
then turn and go the other way.
We’re both going to a different place
and for once in my life I’m okay.
HG – 2017
