The Final Hours Of Those I Failed

He stumbles blindly to the water

Clutching a photograph of someone else’s daughter

He selects the perfect stone

Curls it in his fist

It skims the surface with

An innocence that he has missed

And I

Who lay by his side

Never doubting how hard he tried

Can’t hide

From the pull of that tide

She’s free to leave if she so chooses

He knows his business though, you never see the bruises

She writes the letter in

Terms he will understand

Then hangs it underneath

The pencil tracing of a hand

And I

Who lay by her side

Never certain for whom she cried

Can’t hide

From the knot that she tied

Should I not have made promises

(Don't be afraid)

I was never entitled to keep?

(I'll keep you safe)

It never occurred to me honestly

(I won't be ashamed)

That they’d cheat

(To meet your gaze)

They know they’re too well-dressed for sleeping

But it’s their final chance, to look good before leaping

They drop the needle to

That weather-worn shellac

And disappear into

A strain that once had held them back

And I

Who lay by their side

Mistaking sated for satisfied

Can’t hide

From the cost of these lives