such a pretty little partridge, found buried under the remains of your name

I think we all get a little crazy sometimes.

How could you not..
Sometimes the flows of a life are unnerving, uncomfortable,
Unflinchingly bitter,
Unbelievably sweet.

Whether it is in the moments that your heart feels as if it could burst from the joy contained within,
And you can no longer understand someone's fascination with shadow play:
You become so happy that you lose the perspective of pain.
You think everyone should feel this way;
Just revel in the ages of the shining sun.
Just smile more.

Maybe it's in those other moments;
You, A quiet exterior,  calm serenity, a little aloofness.
Your hidden places are chaos;
Clawing, gnashing, screaming in your guts,
Walking the thin line between shy sadness and hysterics. It may change at a moment's notice.
You think everyone should feel this way;
You've lost all recollection of light;
Find the bright things to be a humorless parody,
A small diversion before reality sets in again.

I was in a bookstore at night,
Breathing in that intoxicating smell of printed paper.
Saw two people standing near each other.
They couldn't have been further apart.

He is very tall, dark, medium length styled hair;
Chiseled jaw; blue eyes.
Untrusting eyes, but
Not unkind.

She is short,
close cropped reddish hair, a vivid tint that could never occur in nature.
A smile that reaches to
Sparkling green eyes.
She glows with warmth.

He alternates between offhandedly searching for a book,
And furiously texting to someone in the digital ether.
With every key he presses,
You can almost see the shadows he begins to gather 'round himself.

You can tell she is looking for that perfect gift;
Eyes scanning each title intently,
While her thumb unconsciously plays with the glittering engagement ring on her finger.

I can hear the soft click as the long, impeccably manicured nail of her thumb taps that shining gold promise.
I think it's adorable.

He hears it too.
He's agitated.
Keeps glancing over at her hand.
Brow furrows.

She notices his look.
Tries to warm him with her smile.
a beautiful grin showing white and even teeth. You could feel her light from across the room.

He tries to smile. It looks painful.
It hurts to watch.

Click.
He begins to tremble. Just a little.
Click.
His eyes narrowing, smile now absent.
Click.
His right hand absently touches the ring finger on his left, reaching for something that isn't there.
All that's there is a smooth indentation from a former gold promise.
Click.
He's looking angry now.
Click.
Click.
Click.

I think we all lose it sometimes.

He not so gently asks her to stop.
She is offended.
Angry reply.
Even angrier retort.
She walks off.
She can't understand why it annoys him so much. Can't see past her own light to the scar starting from his hand,
Reaching to his heart.
He can't understand her smiles. Doesn't want to. He can't comprehend a life outside of shadows and slow self-torture.

At least not right now.
Not yet.

I pray for them both.

I will write their song sometime soon.