Kiss and Don’t Tell
A Poem
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life was a one-way track
till we got down on our knees
and begged forgiveness for all our wrongs.
i told myself i wasn’t to blame,
but the heavens told me different
that day i crossed paths with you again and again.
oaths meant nothing to you,
and maybe they meant little to me —
but i couldn’t see beyond the haze of wanting.
kiss and don’t tell, they say, kiss and don’t tell —
well, i didn’t do a thing, but i’m still here guilty.
life was a two-way street
till things got hard and we bent
to every one of those wayward whims.
i told myself i wouldn’t fall again,
but hell had a different plan for me
and every crime had your name underlined.
promises don’t last like this,
and promises die quick like this —
but i couldn’t imagine a life without you in it.
kiss and don’t tell, they say, kiss and don’t tell —
well, i never said a word, but i still paid the price.
life never knew to treat me well —
and neither did you, now that i realize,
but that’s my own part in the story to mourn.
i told myself i’d do better next time,
but paradise doesn’t wait for people like me,
and i’ll be waiting every day for some kind of peace.
love doesn’t quit like that,
and love doesn’t hurt like that —
but i still tried to spin myself a different tale.
kiss and don’t tell, they say, kiss and don’t tell —
well, i stayed till curtain call, and now it’s time to leave.
Did you enjoy this poem? If so, please feel free to check out my other poetry:
