Words Uncovered [Poetry Book]

Modern-day Romeo and Juliet

I told you that I loved you
And watched your confusion grow
You whispered why so softly
And needed desperately to know

And so I took a deep breath and bowed my head
As my lungs began to close and in my stomach laid the dread

You laid your hand on the small of my back
And dragged me forward until my head fit against the crook of your neck
You asked why again I would love you after seeing all the things you lack
And I pulled from your embrace to look up into those startlingly blue-grey eyes

It was the way your hair would always be messy
And the way your eyes crinkled when you laughed
It was the happiness in your eyes when we danced together
And the light touch of your fingers on my waist as we posed for a picture

It was the look you gave me that showed you cared
And the comforting smile you would always share
It was the jokes and the teasing and the calling me "stupid"
And the questions you'd ask when I thought no one listened

It was the way you cared more for others than yourself
And the way you acted as if you were nothing more than dust on a shelf
It was the way you wanted to know more
And the way you fought to stop me from walking out the door

It was the way you were so hard on yourself
And the way you tried so hard to make up for your flaws
It was the way you faced all your terrible mistakes
And the way you became a leader because of it all

It was the way that you so desperately wanted to be loved
And the way you found it in all the wrong girls
It was the way you thought you deserved nothing
And the way you never realized you deserved everything

It was the way your eyes would light up when your favorite band would come on the radio
And the way you would share your favorite songs with me
It was the way you were so different than anyone I'd met before
And the way you were still so similar to me

It was the way you didn't run when I threw fire at you
And the way you grabbed my fists to stop my violent swings
It was the way you hugged me when I fell apart
And the way you fixed my damaged heart

It was the way you wrapped your arms around my waist
And the way you held me tight and kept me in place
It was the way you brushed away a strand of my hair
And the way you wiped away the tears on my cheeks where they lay

It was the way you whispered you were worried about me
And the way you said you cared more than I could ever see

But above all, the greatest thing that you would do
The most significant thing that made me fall for you

Was when you looked right into my eyes that one day after school as if nobody else was around
And whispered real softly

"I love you."

And now that I've said the reasons as to why
You look at me in shock and once more wipe that tear from my eye

And you couldn't believe that after all these years
Someone like me had loved you
And now you don't know what to say or what to think
Because you finally realize I'm the best friend who fell in love

And so I hug you tight and let you go
With the kindest smile I could possibly show
And then I turned and walked away
From all the reasons I found to stay
And I heard you call out my name and run to find me
But I stepped out of your way

And lastly I said with tears in my eyes
That now you know all the reasons to answer your why's
But the thing that hurts the most, the deepest pain of all
Is that it's much too late for any of this to work out
There's no point in you and me

I told you all those things so you could finally see
That the girl you always wanted to love you was me
But it's much too late and the time isn't right
So I memorize the defeated look in your eyes

And say goodnight.