2/5

i try
but clichés keep spilling on the screen,
i am wearing out the backspace key,
pounding it as if it is preventing me from healing.

i try
but when i see you it’s the same routine,
nothing i can do can make you love me
and just knowing that is such a helpless feeling.

i try
but i sneak glances at your picture
ten or maybe twenty times a day
now every feature of your face is wired in my brain.

i try
but the lack of you is torture
two is way too many days away
memories alone are not enough to keep me sane.

i try
but every path before me is uphill
i’d take my chances if they were only slim
it’s just the “none” part i find impossible to do.

i try
but fighting this ache has drained my will
and i know i can’t compete with him
because what he has that i will never have is you.

© Mark E. Dougherty