I only meant
To question
Not to harm
I razed the toll-free bridge
Connecting mutual trustI should have
Asked you
Privately
Sustaining courage left me
While we were on our own.Now the gap between us
Is not closed
By an embrace
My arms, my soul
Are empty, missing youBrash, I am alone
Isolated by a distance
I created
Not with Mere Words
With public accusations.You know me well
You listened
Not just heard
You understood the meaning
Of my hidden thoughtsHow can I end
This unforced loneliness?
Mere Words
Will not revive
The trust we shared so longMere Words
Will not repair
The damage
I have caused
To you, to usMere Words
Will not rebuild
The solid structure
I destroyed
With callous whimMere Words
Will not return
Free passage
On our bridge
Restored by human faults.
From Marriage Is a Balance Beam, a book of poetry by Carole Bos.