A Cautionary Tale

Be careful of the things
You say at 1 am
When the quiet of the night
Becomes unbearable
And you try to drown
The silence with a confession.
Your heart on your throat –
Beating, beating, beating
Like the drum of an impending war.

And it is war,
What is happening inside your chest.
Close to bursting,
The words rush out in one breath.
“I love you,” you say.
He looks at you, uncomprehending.
You think you deserve
More than just a blank stare.
You think he could have said,
“I feel the same way.”
Even when he doesn’t because, love,
You prefer to swallow the shiny lie
More than the cold, hard truth.

That’s why I’m telling you
The revelation can wait when
You’re both sober and awake
And he’s not nursing a broken heart
Over some girl who chose her dreams
Instead of dreaming with him
And you’re not busy weaving your future
Around him, knowing all along
In the morning he won’t even remember
Half the promises he made the night before.

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