i
'But at least you don't have to be terrified all the time'.
Years later those words come back to haunt me,
resonating in my head.
And how,
how I wish I'd understood back then.
ii
Now I see,
she's always been the haunted one.
As she shivers in her sleep,
cold sweat covering her pale body,
I can tell what she's dreaming about.
Even though her eyes are shut tightly,
I can feel the sadness hidden underneath heavy lids.
iii
In the morning we don't talk about it.
She either doesn't remember
or is trying to forget,
as she sips her coffee and burns her tongue.
She laughs but
it's not genuine.
I try to kiss away the pain
but it never seems to work.
iv
I've been going through old memories
as if they were photographs.
Of every encounter,
of every touch,
of every word.
Her words, her eyes
as sad as can be
since, what seems to be, always.
v
I wish I could exorcise the sadness
from her eyes.