Poisoned Chalice

© 2021 Marieke de Koker

I watched you break yourself 

a thousand times into a thousand pieces

in the name of Holy Love 

which was nothing more than a poisoned chalice

like drunken happiness 

slowly killing you from the inside

while life passed you by

Everyone kept moving 

as you stood still

waiting away life's precious moments

for someone who didn't give a damn

The more you gave and the more you lost,

the purer and nobler you believed your love 

like a gambler still betting

after losing everything

No one ever changes in the way you want them to 

What you see is all they'll ever be

What they give is all they'll ever give

© 2024 Marieke de Koker