Concrete Poem by Jade Leven

Dedicated to I.B. and K.L.

I rode with you in the city
and in my mind I was sleeping on his shoulder
the time to smile has passed for us
it’s gone, it’s but that doesn’t mean it’s over

I have said I loved
so many things, so many people in my life
my soul aches to this day to find
some truth inside those empty lies

but there are still the echoes
they travel through the alleys and bend
as we write in the concrete
love lies at the rainbow’s end

I walked with you on sidewalks
in places I had never seen
I trusted you with my heartfelt words,
my predictions, and my dreams

I have said I needed
so many things, so many people in my life
I hope that one day I will find
some truth hidden beneath the strife

and there are still the echoes
they travel through the alleys and bend
as we write in the concrete
love lies at the rainbow’s end

does nothing matter?
will nothing last?
can’t something be in the future
instead of in the past?
can’t I just breathe in
familiar air
in a familiar place
so I don’t have to wonder where?

there are still the echoes
they travel through the alleys and bend
as we write in the concrete
love lies at the rainbow’s end

can I hold on to anything?
are memories enough?
you write in the concrete
what is love?