when all the shadows shift

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐬

last night,
I saw the love
drain from your
tired eyes.
I took a breath
and held it close to me
because I knew it was only
a matter of time
before my lungs
forgot how to function.

I knew that I'd lose hold
of this love at some point.
I just didn't know when.

lately, there has been an
ocean between us,
one that is too far
for me to cross.
I may drown
before I even
catch a glimpse
of you.

I was supposed to drown
in your love for me,
not in the body of water
separating us.

you didn't break me
and I didn't break you.
we weren't a disaster.
we didn't burn.
your eyes just refused
to meet mine anymore
and I felt your hands
grow cold,
freezing me
from the inside out.
the absence of love
will do that to you;
it will drive the warmth
from your bones
and leave you gasping
for fleeting air.

I should have known that
"I love you"
would come to mean
"I lost you"
and that
this ocean
between us
will be the
death of me.