Burnt Out Lies

You said 'perhaps in another lifetime'

To which I replied

'But we still have one ahead of us! How can you be sure it is not this time?'

You kept silent

and I waited

and waited

and waited

and waited

And I should have known sooner

that the silence

was your answer

I should have known when I felt

the cold wind brush against my face

when you used to be

a breath of warm fresh air

I should have known when I heard

the faltering echo of your voice slowly fading away

in the vastness of the grey sky

when they used to be so profound

singing to me love songs

and lullabies

I should have known when I saw the distance between us

by the way your eyes looked

away from mine

when they used to be fixed on me

and only me

even when I was away

I should have known when

you finally opened your mouth

And all I could smell were your

burnt-out lies

that knocked me off my balance

as if I just heard them for the first time

I should have known

that 'perhaps in another lifetime'

was your lazy excuse

of telling me

'You are not worth fighting for'

And I wish I knew how

to get rid of this unpleasant aftertaste

of that kiss we shared that night

that still somehow manage

to linger inside my mouth

-Manganese