she laughed in the dark like she owned the night,
eyes sharper than a knife i once called love
i gave her all my quiet moments, my loose change,
my mornings and evenings and the spaces between
and she traded me for a shadow, a whisper,
somebody else’s hands on her skin
while mine were still trying to map her heartbeat
every lie she told
i hear it echo in the corners of my chest
like a subway train running empty at 3 a.m.
and the world keeps asking me why i stayed,
like i’m supposed to be polite about betrayal
like i owe an explanation for loving someone
who didn’t know how to love
i keep my mouth full of fire
and my eyes full of roads she’ll never walk again
i ain’t bitter, just awake
every time i remember her smile
i taste the smoke of a bridge burning behind me
and that’s my favorite part