I put my heart in a shoebox
And sequestered it away
In the back of a closet.
And though I'm safer
More comfortable
Like this,
It bothers me a bit not to feel.
When I look at you,
There's a vast void
Where love used to burn,
Threatening to immolate my body and soul.
When I think of loves from days gone by,
The familiar sting of loss no longer follows.
I wonder how long
The safe haven of
Emotional anesthetic
Will last.
Most of me wishes
It would stay forever.
But there is a small portion of me
That realizes that
Color has faded to black and white,
And listens,
Patiently,
For a noise from the closet.