Now offhand, yet deliberate
Hidden fistfuls of memory 
Tossed into the dark and dusty crevices 
Timeworn and tattered
An indictment from the past.

Waited, despaired, calculated all the reasons 
And, I remembered – I too was callous 
Used-up passion burnt upon the coals
Of a scorned and glowing heart
To make myself be how I twisted and turned;

Still, tender is the prayer I held for you 
Not comprised of words
These nights my pillow is just that. 
Not you, in disguise, held tightly as
A button in a timid child’s pocket.
If you hadn’t broken us
Would it all have washed away?
On the shore – fading gradually in the sun Turning it over in my mind one day
To see the darker side of what might have been.