Treehouses - Smoke

her breath flickers in the wind
an icy chill frosting the corners of her eyes
unsettled and alone
awaiting the touch that will never come
asking herself with a passion he could never match
even if he wanted to

the only thing he seems to dedicate himself to these days is the suppression of feelings that might open him up
to her this makes no sense
her heart spends more time on her sleeve than it does in her chest
his on the other hand hasn't seen the light of day in years
he approaches
his shoes are worn through
the soles have holes he'll never fix
she asks him why one day
he considers his response darkly
biting chipped nails and nursing a cigarette

they ponder for a moment, lost in the image of the dancing smoke
flittering through the wind as he maneuvers a cigarette
he was never good at answering hard questions
"i never really thought about it" he responds,
"why, does it bother you?"
she considers for a moment, wondering if now is a good time
"yes, a lot about you does."
he glances quickly downwards, avoiding her gaze
praying the following conversation will evaporate like the smoke seeping into the air
"do you love me?" she asks
he pauses
"i think we both know the answer"
his words are lost in the chasm of his throat
his eyes giving way to the flood of emotion he's been running from for years
"you've wasted my life, why didn't you tell me?"
her voice breaks
it's over