A KINDNESS I CAN’T KEEP

[Verse 1] You bought the coffee I forget to buy, Left it beside a note before your shift. I stood there searching every careful line For something you expected with the gift. You made some room beside the bathroom sink. I kept my toothbrush buried in my bag. You said, “It’s yours.” I didn’t know what to think. I’d never had a thing I could just have. [Chorus] You give me love; I look for the lie. Keep one eye open when you close your eyes. I turn your tenderness into a debt, Wait for a price that you haven’t set. You hold me close; I pull the thread— Unravel every gentle thing you said. [Verse 2] You’re quiet at dinner. I ask what it means. You say you’re tired. I say, “Tired of me?” You set down your fork and reach over the table. I drag up a fight just to make you unstable. There—now your voice has an edge I can place. Something familiar returns to your face. I finally know what to do with the room. You look so hurt. I call it proof. [Chorus] You give me love; I look for the lie. Keep one eye open when you close your eyes. I turn your tenderness into a debt, Wait for a price that you haven’t set. You hold me close; I pull the thread— Unravel every gentle thing you said. [Post-Chorus] You look so hurt. I call it proof. How much of what I fear Did I put you through? [Breakdown] I kept the score. You didn’t know. Moved every mark With each new blow. Made you defend What you never did. Then blamed your love When it couldn’t live. [Bridge] You leave the coffee on the shelf. I reach for it without your help. No hidden note. No last demand. Just something warm between my hands. I thought I’d feel relieved tonight. I leave your cup beside mine. [Final Chorus] You gave me love; I looked for the lie. Kept one eye open and watched us divide. I turned your tenderness into a debt. You paid in ways I haven’t counted yet. I held the thread until it came apart. You shouldn’t have to bleed to prove your heart. [Outro] I fold your note along the crease. For once, I read it as it reads.