…in the echoes of us

We are together, yet also apart
my thoughts left unspoken, ebb and flow
deep in the shallows, our flames are still flickering
in the dark corners, of a quiet windless night
love, an anomaly, separated, oceans apart
our hearts forever entwined, broken, over and over again
the scales constantly rise and fall
love on one side, desire on the other, an unsolvable dichotomy
endlessly navigating both truths and lies
a battlefield, where lies settled gently, deep in our souls
and where truths drift out of reach, like a slow sinking boat
our hearts now shattered like broken glass
so many goodbyes, resolutions, ultimately broken
walls were built and walls were torn down
constantly testing, the very ground beneath our feet
we were forever unable to accept the reality
that love masquerades in many forms
that temptation is not a test, but an excuse
an excuse to continue, on the path to nowhere
not counting the miles, not checking the compass
to keep track of where we were going
we both had separate lives, never hidden from each other
those betrayals were never revealed and still remain unspoken
when we finally drifted apart, we both knew
that there could never really be an end
just long pauses, between connections
slowly becoming a deep, dark void
from which neither of us attempted to escape
now here in the shadows, my memories still linger
and my heart is unwilling to let them go
I still see your face, hear your voice, feel your gentle touch
and in my dreams, time stands still for mere minutes
and then rewinds, always carrying me back to you
but I always awaken to the tragic reality
that I now live here alone, in the echoes of us
love and loss, tightly intertwined
the dark art of the shadows
endlessly repainting their creations
in all the colours of love and loss
©Ann Bagnall