Promises

Promises


You promised me roses
You promised me the sun
You offered me time,
And time is valuable,
My vase was filled with water,
My windows, wide open
To let in the sunlight-
In my hand
I hold empty stems
Three of them,
I believe,
One for each lie you told me,
My watch is broken
It is two PM and
My clocks all read midnight, and
Dark clouds
Obliterate the sun-
I never trusted many.
My parents planted seeds that
They promised would grow magnolia trees,
Tall and beautiful they would become,
Another promise broken-
I remember a garden replete with dandelions and
Overgrown with weeds, and
Grass never cut.
I walk out my door, and
Into my cupped hands,
I let the rain pour,
Into my cupped hands,
I let each tear that I cried drop,
One at a time,
One for each lie and each misfortune
This life has given me-
You promised me roses,
You promised me the sun.
I could uphold the moon in the palms of my hands-
There is no life on the moon,
Which is why I so adore it-
No living thing to lie and make false promises-
If I could I would live there myself
I would be the queen, planting my own seeds,
Seeds of prosperity and love,
And watch them grow in peace and in happiness alone,
Even if they were only dandelions and
Overgrown grass,
No rain would fall,
No tears would fall,
Because the water in my vase
Would be pure,
And the sun would shine at midnight-
And if t he hands on my watch
Spun out of control
Time wouldn’t matter
When no one is around
To lie about time, flowers or even the sun-
And from there I do not see
A single cloud in the sky?

Claudia Krizay