Careless Words

People say 'I love you' like
How they say 'hello' and
'Goodbye',
Like how they scrawl names on
Homework, and toss away yesterday's
Rotting leftovers
Before the crows could
Find out why.

I saw it in her eyes,
Careless rambles from her
Lips, words made of old ink and
Faded paper. Words which couldn't
Fill the face of a dime, even if
She wanted them to.

He felt it in her touch,
Warm at the surface yet
Chilled to the bone,
Each expression getting crumpled and
Cut every time it escaped her.
Because 'I love you' has turned invisible,
Smoke choked by the hurricane of
Repetition, passing on a street
After a killer has had enough of his
Cigarette.

But there were days,
So many days,
When he wanted to reach out and
Touch the smoke, breathe in its
Artificial pleasure, return their
Drunken 'hellos' and
'Goodbyes', before they turned
Into coal-kissed skin burned by
Reality.

It seems the venom of a
Dream is softer.