BEFORE YOU WERE A STRANGER

When I think about your face, I see an abstraction A torn photograph of the side of your arm A forced hug, nervous smile A bouncing knee for ransom For years I begged you to sing And you said you never would Not to me, not to anyone And especially not to her And there you are Grainy darkroom superhero Strumming your guitar Stretching every chorus Just a little bit too far Breaking all your ex’s hearts Gracefully in half Do you still wear nothing But delicate all black Will you be a dad someday A nine to five companion You said you’d never try it But I think you were lying One girl without a cradle One man without a daddy Except the drunk that made you Into what I almost married I don’t think where we were counts for any love I told you I would write a song, and you could be the star A shadow gently smiling from the backseat of my heart Cheering for the thing we made and the thing we lost An angry missing person, a puddle of bad art I said that I was fine Because our love was easy An easy scab off an easy knee Easier for you than it was for me Blood is easy too I think Pain is easiest The only thing that isn't Is the fact you still exist