High On a Shelf

He was my Present
I accepted his past
Coming from opposite planes
We couldn't avoid the crash.

Me- the Optimist
Always leading with my heart,
Sensed some damage
But thought his edginess was sharp

He- the sad boy
Turned conflicted man,
Floating on resentment
In a pool of unresolved feelings

A father who fled
His son he never knew
A mother who hit
From frustration she grew
Tired
of the child
that resembled
the man
who left them.

He wanted to love
wanted to care
But a heart this vulnerable
Would not dare
Expose itself.

Instead it remained
High
On a shelf
Out of my reach
And everyone else

I tried to endure
his love tug-of-war
the anger---the distance---
Too much to ignore

So we left,
my heart and me.