GOODBYE SONGBIRD

i was thinking it was you

i was thinking we would fall

slow into each other’s arms

thought i had it all

i was counting out the years

the way the light would fill our hall

i was building something quiet before you built a wall

and i had the ring picked out

knew the restaurant,

knew the speech

had the questions no one asks

you had the dress i’d never see

i was thinking baby names

the kind that carry weight and grace

something soft for a daughter

something strong for a son’s face

i was thinking sunday mornings

coffee cold before we’d wake

i was thinking forty years

now i’m thinking my mistake

and i had the neighborhood

the yard, the school two blocks away

i had the christmas

i would give you

all those ordinary days

somewhere there’s a version

where i’m still

where the quiet doesn’t shatter

and i never lose my will

somewhere there’s a table set for more

and i’m not the reason she walked out the door

goodbye songbird

i almost heard your yes

goodbye songbird we almost made

we were blessed

i had the future in my palms and it slipped right through

goodbye songbird god i almost had a life with you