Boys that Linger

Oh, the boys

That have flitted in and out

Of this used and battered heart of mine.
 

Some released with barely a flicker of pain,

No twinge in the demise;

Others causing shakes,

Like an addict in withdrawal,

Holding on too long, too strong

To the one ready to let go.

 

They linger

In the dark, quiet hours of the night,

As I wrestle with the

Would have’s, the could have’s,

And the should have been’s;

And review the gentle glide

Of whispered words of longing,

Of hands and lips upon my skin.

 

But at the break of dawn

I tuck them back inside,

And seek the next boy

To leave a mark.