they say that nothing gold can stay

but what about the other metals seen as precious

in the eyes of man

 

you are my silver lining

if i say your smile shines like a diamond

under desert sun,

will you keep looking at me as if

i’m a treasure worth finding

 

your hair gleams bronze

in this lazy half-light

that space between dreaming and waking

where i can almost feel your hand in mine

 

i open my eyes

to grey skies

clouds painted platinum

without your presence to brighten

my humdrum days

 

the future gleams on the horizon

our chance rare and lustrous

just another fortune

i can’t afford

 

for every paragon i cherish

is not worth a dime

 

to be with you costs a steep price

i’d give you my heart, my mind, my time

 

but you’re holding all the keys

and locking all the doors

and the bank is only open when i fall asleep

 

i watch you as if through a windowpane

the glass colors you in shades of palladium

here comes the thunder clap, doubt in its beat

here comes the lightning, fearful in feat

 

here comes the rain

the storm of my pain

already set on its course

desperate for more of you

 

there is enough fear here

to fill a lake

to drive an ocean to crash on the shore

 

there is enough hope in my heart

to build a boat

the tiniest lifeboat

with only enough room for two

please say it will be me and you

 

i can’t help but think

that you want to reach out

but your hands are tied

and the other you, the boy with the dead eyes

is holding the knife

 

break free from your chains

dive into the water’s delivering embrace

i promise that the wandering gaze of the lighthouse

will find you in time

 

i will not let you make the riverbed

your final resting place

i will not leave you for dead

just another treasure to be unearthed

from an underwater grave

 

join me in this in-between

or have mercy

please set me free

from your siren song

of almost-maybe-just enough

 

-i want to go down in history, but i’d erase my name from every book if it came from your lips instead