To help me catch a bitter worm the next morning
And it rolled right over, underbelly revealed
Too soft to handle hard surprises
Too selfish and delicate
That was when I let you disappoint me for the final round
Of inconvenience meaning more than our friendship
You know no means no
But so does yes when delivered with a groan
I heard the night owl’s complaint piercingly clear
So mom drove me to the airport instead
And I didn’t I realize it yet
But I was already over you then
While I was losing my father to empty bottles
You were losing me to hollow promises
Of brotherhood and being there
I shouldn’t have to tell you
Calling yourself my last resort
Doesn’t count as showing up
And I’ve got more love on the line
And someone else will always volunteer
To hug me goodbye
If you aren’t feeling up to it
If you can’t get up for it on time
I guess you thought I’d understand
Since it’s how you’ve always been
It’s all cute and quirky until someone’s getting hurt
And needs a ride to save her father’s life
Or maybe just her own
You don’t know that he wasn’t in the van
That I flew home alone
Shattered and still shaking from the threats that he leveled
Gas pedals and sirens and lies that he leverage
And cops that saw through it
And the moment I knew that I couldn’t
You didn’t ask if it all worked out
You let the nights lengthen and that’s how it lasted
And you haven’t changed your password
Or your agenda
Or your lack of compassion
I guess I’m just your history now
I once fought for your trust
While you sat in the background
You didn’t answer the call
When I asked you to stand up
You acted like it wasn’t
The worst two weeks of my life
Like I didn’t need you
Like hell isn’t a place that I could possibly wind up
Like you wouldn’t sweat for a friend who was burning
It was hot in the kitchen and you turned on the TV
Left a pot boiling dry on the stove while you kicked back
And lit another bowl so you could just check out
Remaining calm in a crisis is simple
When you decline it with silence
Guess you got off easy
But definitely early
I thought we had years left in the making
But now I’ll take credit for calling the score
I left the ball in your court and waited to volley
But I set down my racket when the ref finally told me
That you never bothered with picking up yours
I once broke down your walls
Never thought that you could break down my patience
The sheep that broke the collie’s back
Only cried wolf when it truly mattered
Turns out wolves work all hours
And I’m sorry to tell you
That love doesn’t call in sick
When it's not in the mood for taking the morning shift
The flock lost a few members
I don’t think you remember
The love that broke down your walls was a gift
I thought there was something worthwhile to get to
Turns out all these years
It was just an empty pasture
Of unruffled feathers
And the ghost of a wolf-haunted lamb that once grazed there