A widening gap

Bandaids and stitches and chewed wads of bubble gum

but nothing was enough to pull together

the gap that stretched between us.

 

I remember the first time I knew it wouldn’t last,

and my aggressive optimism immediately following.

 

I believed that if I loved you enough,

hung onto every word as if it was your last,

held you close enough-

that I would be given the results I craved so deeply.

 

But it was never about me,

it was always about you.

 

From the very beginning,

you made me feel as though I was fighting a losing battle

and your troops kept advancing.

 

“This won’t work.”

“I don’t feel the same way.”

“I never cared about you at all.”

“Everything was a lie.”

 

And for the grand finale,

“You’re crazy and I’m scared of you.”

 

It’s impossible to pull a person to shore

if they desperately want to drown in the shallows.