Maybe I'm Glass Poem by Ben Partenay

let's start in the middle, lets start with your hand on my knee
let's start when the night was morning and streets were only ideas we had
we have to start somewhere, we have to look back, put a pin in the map
here, let's start here. your hand was cold. it wasn't always cold but
this night it was cold, and we sat in the graveyard and you told me
that you were a morning person, that nights just made you lonely.

maybe let's back up
maybe let's go back to when we didn't know each other, when we
both took a risk and every day was nighttime for awhile and then
we both figured it out (or told ourselves we had) and played it safe
and

and some nights I can't breathe (can you breathe when you're full of
wonder?) i want to ask you, are you here, are you there, is the sun
drifting through your hair like a song? and ok, ok, let's start at the beginning
let's start back when the world made sense and parts of us were still strangers
lets start in the bar with a beer and a conversation of how we ended up here
and isn't it interesting how we never see the important things coming

maybe let's fast forward, maybe let's not focus on me drinking
maybe let's talk about how you're doing and are you happy
maybe lets pretend I don't still think of you sitting next to me,
The New Yorker sprawled on your lap, a half smile lapsed with
your legs sprawled across the thin sheets. I can't watch anymore
i can't look at the maybe could have been

the window is open and yesterday I cut my hair because you
said you liked it long and
maybe i'm glass, maybe you break me by seeing through me
i never thought I was fragile, I never thought I could be broken
and you're dancing, out cavorting through the crowd
and you touched me knee, and you told me your story
and you asked me about what kept me up at night when
i tossed and turned and you ran your fingers
down my back, wrote your name
in my skin, maybe I am glass, maybe you can see through me

maybe it's love, I don't know, maybe I don't want peace I want
poison. Ok I ate the apple, and ok I played with the ring on your
finger, and maybe sometimes I wanted you to feel what I felt.
and ok, maybe this is on both of us.

and maybe
i am glass and full of shards of you
and your ring left a dent in my hand from where you
pulled at me and we almost fell into each other
and maybe I walked and walked after you
left that night, after drinking beer
in the playground, after whispering
"it has to be this way'
maybe I walked and keep walking

lets fast forward to goodbye and listen to how words
are used like fingers and look at this, we were wrapped up
and maybe part of love is learning how to leave,

but i learned you like a song and how you don't
take milk in your coffee, you had your
t-shirt off the last time
you told me that
you loved me.