A Promise

Love whispers a promise
of a joyful beginning, 
as if loss will never break 
your bones.

But it leaves just as quickly, 
hands full of blossoms you’ll 
never hold again.

Love burns you with its touch, 
pretending it is warmth.

It stays too long, pressing 
the air until you can’t breathe, 
then vanishes, taking with it 
the light you thought would last.

Love seduces you into believing 
that endings can be beautiful. 
It hides decay in gold, softens 
the fall with color, then leaves 
you in the naked wind.

Love can lie.

Its cruelty is honest, so you forgive it, 
until the cold seeps deeper than you 
thought possible, until you hear your 
own heart crack.

And so it is, 
love keeps smiling at you 
with someone else’s mouth, 
each promising 
what it cannot keep.