and Sage Francis sings

“i am no destination, i am just a journey, so don’t go settling on me love, no, don’t go settling on me”

from a distance
the words mislead
from the heartbroken fool
making him seem
like something more
than a pit stop
on the way
to true love

upon closer inspection
the swaying palms
seem stunted
the aquatic life
in the immediate
vicinity
of my reef
are wrong

i am no secret getaway
no lush
tropical island
capable of sustaining life
i am a rocky atoll
slowly broken down
by waves
blasted by nuclear heat

a touch of my
stinging white sand beaches
leeches the joy
from the soulful soles
the tainted caress
of my radioactive love
enough to wilt
the strongest flower

no baby
you were right to leave
to save yourself
from being
my muse
my light
my love
my reason

you saw
that i was not enough
to make you happy
so you let your footprints
trail off
into the cloudy waters
of discontented lethargy
bred from distance apart

how i wanted to be
your everything
your smile
your dream
your lover
your best friend
but the toxicity of my touch
was too much

so i drive through what
was supposed to be
temporary
but now reeks
of forever
with nothing but
the memory of your lips
the smell of your hair

singing along with Sage Francis

“i am no destination, i am just the journey, so don’t go settling on me love, no, don’t go settling on me”