Believe Me

A Poem

Photo by Mahdi Bafande on Unsplash

we said we’d never fall —
never again, not like this —
but we were liars,
believing in the best
of ourselves
even as mirrors showed us
what we had become

the reflections shattered
in easy-made fragments
to show us the ugliness
of what we carried
and what we’d take
to the grave or beyond —
if only they let us

faith became a battle
between common sense
and a child’s unwavering belief —
but tragedy has a way
of reminding us
again and again
of what we most desire

holding your hand
was a balm to my soul,
and your smile cradled me
while my heart stitched itself
back into some semblance of shape
even as the hourglass dwindled
and I knew our time was running out