The Way They Are

She explained everything,
She was hurt
She was sad
She didn't think it could go on anymore,
She didn't have the time or the pain to see him everyday,
She wanted to quit, she really did
But she couldn't,
So she took a vacation, far, far away.

He listened to everything she had to say,
Without interruptions
He was just as sad and hurt as she was
Even if he couldn't do it anymore, he continued,
What else was he going to do?
So he watched
Watched as she died inside everyday
Watched as she left
Watched as she never came back.

It was hard for him to accept the truth,
She died
On vacation, she died,
He was upset
He was mad
He wanted to kill someone.
He needed her.

This was their game
Their demented game.

Summer passed, and then fall, and then it was winter,
And then, just like always, he slunk back to his tiny apartment,
He drank some milk from the carton,
He looked at her picture on the nightstand
And he prayed for death before falling asleep.

And then like always, he would wake up,
She wouldn't be by his side
He'd do what he does best
Ignore the pain and continue life
He ignored the pain,
And he continued life,
But he could never quite be the way he was before.