a tongue like unstruck matches.

I remember the way you said you loved me.
That first time, when the twitch in your upper lip gave you away.
When I felt that understanding what a person can endure
made the moments that followed unbearable.
The way the second hand on my wristwatch slowed
and I acted as if the world wasn't crumbling around me.
You were always one for third-rate romance.
So I chalked this one up to an affinity for being lost.
And I remember the wayou said you loved me.
That last time, when the dryness of your eyes
gave you away. I took steps back
and realized that love
just sometimes
isn't.