the world was killing her incrementally

day by day

a little at a time

carving off little bits of her

and it killed me to watch it occur

standing by helplessly

wishing to help

to hold her

to let her know it would all be alright

but i couldn’t lie to her

hell

i found it difficult to be honest to her

to be around her

how could i avoid the vortex of every wish and dream i had ever had given form

it killed me

a little bit at a time

not being able to scream the things that bubble up at the mere thought of her

watching the world do what the world inevitably does to all of us

feeling the desperate need to shield her from it

to form a barrier of light and joy like she does with a simple look

just incremental decay

how many filters does the sun’s light pass through before it brings life

her smile is standing directly in front of the sun

the sheer magnificence burning you to ash

and never feeling so alive as the moment it kills you

everyday another down a slip and slide covered in the broken pieces of yesterday

trying to stay strong as the blood drops down the front of your shirt and stains everything a deep crimson

the world was killing her tick by tock

yet she never seemed so radiant

so strong

she doesn’t need me to shield her

and that doesn’t make me want to any less

for as the world kills me with every granule of sand through the narrow waist of the hourglass

she reinvigorates me

just the knowledge she exists

erroneous or not

she is life in a world of entropy

as all atrophies around us she holds the knives at bay

and in her intoxicating beauty she holds answers she is yet unaware of

unknowingly giving hints

in her exceptional charade