Broken

roses are red
the grass is green
bees live in a hive
his name is Jack and he’s 25

roses are red
violets are blue
life without Jack makes him sick
his name is Alex and he’s 26

There was a girl
and me oh my
Alex thought he would follow her
‘til the day he died

but when the girl and Alex
had a rough time
Jack was there, so he didn’t cry

Alex and the girl made up
Jack wanted to throw up
Alex is happy
Jack is not
Jack feels like he has been forgot

Jack finally says how he feels
tears fall
doors slam
Jack would have to find another man

Alex goes home and he sobs
the girl isn’t home, so she can’t do the job
Alex wants to call jack
then he remembers why
Alex didn’t want to say goodbye

weeks go by
maybe months
Alex wants to get out of this funk

He goes to the door and lets himself inside
it’s not locked because Jack has nothing to hide
through the kitchen
through the halls
Jack doesn’t hear Alex’s desperate calls

through the halls
to the door
Jack is on the bathroom floor

Alex screams
Alex shouts
still lips and lack of breath is unforgiving
Alex doesn’t know how long Jack has been out

a single note
in the pocket of Jack’s worn out jeans
held a poem scrawled down in haste

“Roses are red
grass is green
I fell in love with you when we were 19
Daisies are yellow
the sky is blue
I was too broken to live without you”

Alex sobbed
Oh Alex cried
Alex truly wanted to die

So Alex took the razor, still on the floor
and wrapped his arms in red ribbons
until a black one was around his eyes
and reality closed the door

Alex left a note too on the back of Jack’s
a response to Jack’s plea

“roses are red
violets are blue
I can’t believe I didn’t realize how much I loved you
you are broken
I am too
without you I didn’t know what else to do”