Linger

Laughter as we sit together talking
outside having a picnic while
viewing the setting sun
everything seems right in the world

Laughter fades away and becomes blank stares
over burnt TV dinners
silence becomes emotional separation and
the world suddenly seems all wrong

Past mistakes come to mind
another failure that could have been avoided
if harsh words had
never been spoken

Love is still hidden away
it sometimes shows itself in strange
nightmares that scream at you about what might have been
gravitating toward anyone that might help
ease your troubled mind but you still
relapse into sadness because they are not the
someone that you long to hold close

Someone that you lay awake
thinking about
in the quiet hours of the
long
lonely nights