when the pieces no longer fit

the slow burn
as the days
gather
and strip away
lost love

sympathy wanes
in small steps
bounding through
memories
better off lost

another dark night
swallowed
another day worked
away
and misplaced
along with all the others

friends come and gone
ushered away
like dust through
a keyhole

smiles melted down
into wrinkled frowns
as the eyes weep
a few degrees deeper

clasped hands
released
and the time is lost
and the great
separation begins
and the game
is coming to an end

all of that fluttering
away
and still you stand
firm
all alone as you drift away
with all the rest

how many smiles
have you missed?

how many seconds
were fucked away
with purpose?

try as you might
not a single breath
can be recaptured
in the movement
of the galaxies
swallowing you
                  whole