the art of loving you

sixty seven.

i.
shaking hands and nervous words,
i write and cross out
a thousand different heartbreaks
that never sound quite right.

ii.
holding steady and falling fast,
i collapse against the stairs
leading to her front door.

iii.
her dad opens the door,
and i remember how i managed
to change his mind on things.
(i wonder if he knows
what i'm about to do.)

iv.
she meets me outside,
and the flame between us
begins to fizzle out;
despite that,
my hands burn.

v.
words that refused to be written
bubble up my throat,
and i spew my heartache
at her feet.

vi.
she yells goodbye like a slap,
and suddenly
i feel myself reeling off balance.

vii.
head pounding and lip trembling,
i stumble home
and try to ignore the emptiness
sitting heavy on my heart.

viii.
bang, whimper.
this is how it ends.

ix.
maybe someday,
she could've stayed forever.

x.
but we weren't meant to be.