I once made you a promise
So long ago it seems a lifetime
Never again would you have
To face the darkness alone

It was a promise I would repeat
With each spiral and dark descent
I would never run away
No matter how much you expected it

Eventually you said goodbye
And it shattered me to pieces
But that promise never left me
Even if the muse behind it did

I worried for a while
Until I knew that you were safe
Then I focused on myself
And eventually pieces changed to peace

And now so much time has passed
But that promise isn’t void
So permanent its carved in stone
Even if I never need fulfill it

Like a cellar in a storm
A place of refuge from the wind
I'm not asking you always stay here
Just asking you know I'm still there

For storms are so destructive
The tornadoes, rain, and hail
So I'll always keep that promise
I will never let it fail

Second chances might not be
Quite what you expect
When you hope to try again
At the exact same circumstance

Mistakes are made each day
By each and everyone
And maybe everyone gets to try again
Just not the way they think

They think they'll get a chance
To right the wrongs they made
To love her right the second time
When the first failure was all their fault

But those second chances rarely happen
Yet that doesn't mean you haven't learned
You won't get to love her better
But you can love the next one right

Burning bridges
That tired metaphor
Often still seems so apt
But you missed one important point
When you tried to light that fire
The fact is that we
Like any modern bridge
Were never made of wood

You tried to ignite
Concrete and steel
Under an ocean gasoline
Threw the match
Watched the flames
And walked away
Thinking you had done
A necessary evil
For us both to survive

But as the flames died away
The heat began to dwindle
It became blatantly obvious
The structure is still there
This was no matchstick trestle
No tinder span we crossed
Those flames that were so impressive
Left no destruction in their wake

Now I'm left to sit and stare
At that empty overpass
I know chasing across it
Would be wrong
So I stand here quietly waiting
For you to realize the truth
That while the metaphor may tired
The bridge is still intact

Just keep walking
The words ringing in his ears
He marches ever onward
Trying to leave the memories behind

Around each new bend
A new start could await
But all he finds is empty promises
Nothing to the fill the void
She left deep inside

Each new path
Every possibility tried
He tries desperately to forget
Not to taint others with her memory

Comparisons aren't fair
To them, to her, to him
But inevitably they creep in
And the world seems to fall short

Not because she was perfect
Or even better than anyone else
But like a puzzle piece misses it's companion
Because nothing else fits quite right

He doesn't want her back
She's happy, secure, and safe
He knows shes probably better off
So he moves on, walking ever forward

Its not a lighthouse in a storm
Theres no foghorn to be heard
Lighthouses warn of danger
Make you turn away without a word

Its not a spotlight to be avoided
Not glaring into your soul
Not trying to bring attention
To every flaw or failed goal

Its a beacon there to guide you
To help you find your way to shelter
No matter what the storm or spiral
When you mind goes helter skelter

You'll never be alone
Thats a promise I won't let go
Never leave you to be abandoned
Come fire, rain, or snow

For now all is quiet
You're comfy snug and warm
And while I'm happy that you're safe
I worry bout the calm before the storm

So if the darkness should surround you
And the clouds start to roll in
Stop and find light I've left
Let it be your beacon

The scab is gone
The scar not quite so vivid
No more clawing to relive the pain
No more needing to feel again
The wound is nearly healed

Through delicate care
And careful protection
And through considerations plenty
The urge to reopen
To feel the blood flow
Has been replaced by a desire to heal

Yet I can't protect it forever
Rmeinders of you are everywhere
They make somethings unavoidable
Including the realization
That my heart still belongs to you

We were never rivals
You learned about me later
But the choice was made
Long before it was vocalized
You were the obvious selection
I never stood a chance
It turned me inside out
Three words were met with two
And then with one
But now it's zero
And in the deafening silence
As I feel myself fade away
I have but one request
Take her to the moon, okay?