A Tangle of Hurt and Happiness - A collection of poetry

Red Flags

I thought I'd see it coming before it happened.
I thought I'd have time for a reaction.
I knew all the warning signs.
I knew how to read in between the lines.

Even so, I was caught unawares.
I was so distracted by the idea that he cared,
That I wasn't paying attention to the message there.
At my foolish mistake, I can't help but stare.

I know I should've known better.
After all, I'd read all of her letters.
I had watched as she fell for the same lies
Over and over again, rose-colored glasses covering her eyes.

I thought I could see through every farce.
That no matter what they said,
Nothing was written in the stars.
Yet now I voice a wish as I watch them in my bed.

I had watched her for years,
As she gave them all her tears.
So I thought I understood how to not fall
For lies so tall.

Yet now, here I stand,
Phone clenched tightly in hand.
I'm reading all the messages again,
Trying to determine if I should press send.

Do I want this to end?
The questions that I have yet to send,
Tell him that I do.
Perhaps I'll make up my mind if my assumptions prove true.

Maybe I would have never seen it coming before it happened.
Maybe I never would have had time for a reaction.
I thought I knew the warning signs,
But now I see why she believed their lies.