I used to know a girl
She loved the smell of petroleum
Bike rides in the rain,
the moon and the stars and the clouds in the sky
I used to know a girl
She loved lemonade and mangos
But she didn't drink pop
Wrote her soul into her poetry
liked dolphins, frogs and ducks

I used to know a girl
and she used to know me
She saved me from myself,
even when I wasn't worth saving
I repaid her the only way I knew how to
and when you're never shown how to love
only how to leave,
one missed message turns into ten
I'm sorry I ignored you into
never hearing from me again

I used to know a girl
who read books like a religion
well after midnight in her bed
Who fell in love with my pen
but I'd never been in love before
and cut ribbons are just as beautiful
when they no longer connect
but their frayed edges,
sharp as glass

I used to know a girl
with oceans I her head
the fragility of the barriers
you would think she didn't stand a chance
But the girl I used to know
was stronger than you'd think
and as I'd white flag retreat
far into the corner, nursing my wounds
She stood strong as ever
Atlas himself could never take that toll

I used to know a girl
who I may never know again
this poem: an apology to her
this poem: a warning to the rest of these
Keep your distance from the writer
Before us turns to them
Before now turns to remember when
And never say I love you
Because there is no way to win
When the writers fate is written -
To die an artist:
alone,
poetic,
with regrets six miles deep