When I Was Your Number One

 

 

I’ve never looked better, my tight clothes fit, 

And my skin still glows after all I’ve learned. 

I’ve toiled – not one task did I omit –  

Yet I’m out here on a limb, bridges burned. 

 

Summertime lovingly clings to me now, 

Reminding me of our enchanted days. 

How could it know your absence won’t allow 

Me to feel the warmth of the sun’s sweet rays?

 

What a joy it was to look in your eyes 

And know I was the jewel that dazzled them, 

And how it hurts to return and realize 

They sparkle today for a different gem. 

 

I'm still in your life, but things aren’t the same. 

Someone else puts a smile upon your face. 

He staked a place I can no longer claim, 

Lifting me from your heart without a trace. 

 

Who else can I turn to to heal these scars 

On days it’s beyond my ability? 

You helped me to see a sky full of stars, 

A future filled with possibility. 

 

In hubris I thought you’d always be there, 

Ever available to comfort me. 

Now I cradle myself and try to prepare 

For nights colder than I dreamed there could be. 

 

Life was sweet when I came second to none –  

How I miss when I was your number one. 

Author's Notes/Comments: 

From the collection "Rhymes for Single People," released December 28, 2021.

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