Bet You Thought

Bet you thought you could undo
the final ending of that act.
Like a painter
who will brush a tiny touch
of white over the blue
to cover a spot
which looks too bold,
or an actor who
forgets part of a line
then improvises so that
audience doesn’t catch on
to the flaw.
Bet you thought I would forget
your last act and press rewind.
Such as a writer holding pen does
to remove a word, a phrase,
that makes no sense,
drawing line through it
then starting again.
Bet you thought I would ignore
like I did in days of past,
when I held back a tear that formed,
or placed my feelings on a shelf.
Always believing
that love could conquer all.
To you, I was the calm
before a storm and after it,
for when rain and winds disappeared,
neither would look back to see
the destruction left behind.
Bet you thought I’d always be
your safe harbor after sailing,
a perpetual fountain for your thirst,
or a solid wall that’d never fall.
You sat back embracing
the comfort I provided,
as you read
a self selected tale of love
from a book without an end.
Then you,
like a paradox
that walks and breathes,
picked up pen to write
the story’s ending.

You left, said not one word.
Like a winner taking all.
Bet you thought that I would follow,
place my feet within your shadow
whispering words,
asking you to stay.
Would have been
a final chapter to your liking,
like a taste of honey you could swallow.
Bet you thought,
but you were wrong.
Now it’s time you think again.