strawberry moon

I know you.

The heart of a boy who longs to be

The man you never knew

Alone, you are empty

Your generosity when others are watching

Your terror at losing their goodwill

You see phantoms that don’t exist

I might be mad but you were far madder

So keen to mythologize your life

You forgot how to live it

Meditating away the hearts you broke

What made you this way?

Who planted that rage?

Wise men say only fools rush in — what does that make me?

****

I told you never to utter my name again

Never dreaming you’d believe me

I’ll wait, darling, I’ll wait

I’ve waited

Thinned and grey, my hair hangs around my sagging jaw

I’ve lost my figure and my future

But I’ve never left

It takes me longer now

But I still go to our spot

Week after week, I gaze at the water

The gleaming dome on the other side

Wondering if perhaps you forgot

those promises made

under a strawberry moon.