Six Decembers

Today I’m thankful for you,

Even for leaving me alone in the desert,

Even for letting me down,

Letting me drown in my own hurt.

Truly, I’m thanking you –

For the reasonable and the absurd.

I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt,

And it’s more than you’ve ever deserved.

I watch others drop their mirrors,

I see them struggling to breathe.

They cut their fingers on what’s already shattered

As I watch from a quiet backseat.

Their emotions get the best of them,

They glue the pieces together in rage.

But my tears are frozen in time,

Trapped in an aluminum cage.

For that, I’m thankful to you.

You don’t have a heart and neither do I.

As the world collapses on itself,

I never even cover my eyes.

Today I’m choosing gratitude,

But tomorrow I’m going to remember.

You froze me to death when you walked away,

I’ve been numb for six Decembers.

-JW