Coffee Shop Sessions

When I left you
did you realize
that all those years
would lead us to a dead end?

You gave me everything to start
but nothing in the end.

Nights came full of frustration
followed by days of disappointment,
hours of mind-numbing waiting,
unanswered calls
confirmed I wasn’t worth
the effort giving.

You gave me everything,
and nothing at all.

You gave me everything to build me up
and nothing to sustain me.

You took my youth–
what was supposed to be
a long direct road up to the cliff’s edge,
a dream to build a life that started on a late afternoon
but ended before the last call.

You settled on a karaoke song stuck in a college town pub,
a low ceiling and wood paneling at the bottom of the stairs.
I kept my eyes on witty one liners and bouquets of flowers.

Our hands never belonged in each other’s palms,
our hearts never spoke to each other anyway.

You gave me everything, and nothing at all.

This flower peeked through the pavement seeking the sun,
to be plucked by one who could save my soul.
No water, no sun, no song to make me dance along.

You gave me everything, and nothing at all.