Slow Decay

Water stilled, frozen by an unfeeling heart
The foreseeable end, is nothing like the memory start
Promises were made, but somehow all assailed
Understanding lost hope, seeing that love has failed
Convicting one’s heart, looking somewhere deep
Wringing out memories, that puddle like weep

Reflecting back to another time, another place
Knowing what was, overlapping hearts to trace
When it was easier to hold and to become as one
But now, different paths await, for each to run
We each own our lives, to go our own way
It is our choice, and ours alone to say

We placed our hearts into each other’s hands
I gave you all, and my vow still stands
But then somehow, a heart was rearranged
And I struggle to understand when it had changed
Outside forces unbeknown, pressured within
Pelting my heart, like hail on hollow tin

Not obvious to the body, nor to the eye
But piercing through the soul, making the heart cry
Promises were made, forever vows were taken
Yet, our foundations were ever so profoundly shaken
When did it begin, can words ever say?
How did it start, this painful slow decay?

A Poem By Tommy Van Valin