If you think this poem is about you, it probably isn't.

You Probably Think This Poem Is About You

The writing on the wall

Is in a script

That is as slurred as the words that pour from your mouth

Like the drink pouring from your cup

Like the rain pouring outside.

The look in your eyes

Is a dead giveaway

It is as apologetic as the tightness with which you hug me

Like the tightness in my lungs as I breathe in your smoke

Like the tightness between the threads in the binding of your favorite book.

The alarm bells ringing

Are at a frequency

That is as deafening as the silence of being under water

Like the silence of an empty room

Like the silence after being told to shut up.

The smell of your shirt

Is so familiar to me

It is as captivating as the innocence of a sprout

Like the innocence of a first meeting

Like the innocence of a honey bee

The music playing

Is in a key

That is as euphonic as the lyrics that wave together

Like the tides flowing in

Like the pain ebbing out

The touch of your hand

Is of a tenderness

That is as gentle as the warmth of the sun as it reaches your back

Like the tequila warming my chest

Like the fire warming your home

The distance between us

Is growing every moment

It is as numbing as a pain that you’ve gotten used to

Like the constricting pain of a lump in your throat

Like the pain of waking up alone