Eyes don't lie.
Whatever the lips speak
or the hand writes
fades to nothing
compared to what is seen
in those endless depths.
And that's why I avoid your eyes;
I know what I'll see there -
the flame, the torment, the hope.
And I know that you avoid my eyes
because the same things shine from mine
whenever you are near.

Eyes don't lie.
And so ours seek some other target,
the wall, the ground, our shoes.
We push to the back of our minds
that night you sang to me
and I sang to you
and you gave me your coat against the cold.
But we both know that these feelings,
hiding behind our eyelids,
won't simply fade if left unacknowledged -
if anything, this game of hide and seek
has only made us realize their permanence
the more frustrated we become.

Eyes don't lie.
And that's why ours
must never meet and hold,
or this lie to ourselves and the world
would fall apart.
You pretend that you are happy with her,
and maybe in part you are.
But I know that if you turned that gaze upon me,
that look that I have glimpsed before,
the one that pierces me to my very core,
we would finally be forced to heed our hearts
and all of our pretenses would turn to dust.
And as much as you can't allow yourself
to even think about it,
you know it, too.

08/26/2001

Posted on 09/22/2001
Copyright © 2025 Amanda J Cobb