Sweat dripping off my brow to sting my eyes
While my lady watches and files her fingernails
Like Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burns
Her indifference diminishing me to complacency
I've had to sing my lullabyes to myself all night long
Secretly rocking away my aching disappointments
Salving my own bruises and putting my pain to bed
Praying for thicker skin and a less tender heart
Watching faithfully through the back screen window
To see the nails rusting in the backyard fence posts
Remembering clearly when they were shiny and new
Looking in the rearview mirror to see the past chasing
We fertilize this emptiness between us with self-pity
We both seek consolation rather than to console
Equally guilty of everything each accuses the other
Seeing things through the tainted eyes of estrangement
©2000 poetheart