the world is horrible

and i am selfish

greedy fingers and poison-ivy tears

crawling down my cheeks

the world is horrible

and you are sweet

and pure, and kind

you are freckled cheeks and moonlight

fault lines running down your tongue

the world is horrible

and cold, but you still stop

to pet dogs on the side of the street

and say i love you to people you’ve barely just met

like it costs nothing

like you don’t know those words mean a promise

i’m terrified one day

i won’t be able to keep

the world is horrible, but have you ever looked up at the stars

and made up constellations in the sky

snuggled up close to the people you love most in the world

and felt significant

for the first time in your life

the world is horrible

but there’s still soup on cold days

flannel shirts over sweaters

old pictures from back when i was a kid

and the way we say i love you, every time we hang up the phone

the world is horrible,

and the lady at the bus stop still offers me a smile

and the woman passing by pulls over

when i crash my bike coming home

the world is horrible

because all of those people will still go to war

they will march forward, blind to the bones beneath their feet

they will laugh and kiss your face

and they will fall onto the gravel and weep

for what you have become

the world is horrible

and i still want you to sing me to sleep

with songs from years go

i promise, i won’t ask you where you’ve been