Smoke - Treehouses

Her breath flickers in the wind

An icy chill frosting the corners of her eyes

Unsettled and alone

Awaiting the touch that will never come

Asking herself with a passion he could never match

Even if he wanted to

The only thing he seems to dedicate himself to these days is the suppression of

feelings that might open him up

To her, this makes no sense

Her heart spends more time on her sleeve than it does in her chest

His, on the other hand, hasn’t seen the light of day in years

He approaches

His shoes are worn through

The soles have holes he’ll never fix

She asks him why one day

He considers his response darkly

Biting chipped nails and nursing a cigarette

They ponder for a moment, lost in the image of the dancing smoke

Flittering through the wind as he maneuvers a cigarette

He was never good at answering hard questions

«I never really thought about it» he responds

«Why?

does it bother you?»

She considers for a moment, wondering if now is a good time

«Yes, a lot about you does»

He glances quickly downwards, avoiding her gaze

Praying the following conversation will evaporate like the smoke seeping into

the air

«Do you love me?»

she asks

He pauses

«I think we both know the answer»

His words are lost in the chasm of his throat

His eyes giving way to the flood of emotion he’s been running from for years

«You've wasted my life, why didn’t you tell me?»

Her voice breaks

It’s over