Compass

Christine Lavin
"Compass"
How can she say she's lost without him?
He's not a compass; he never was.
How can she say life has no meaning?
Life meant something before he came along; it still does.
How can she say he stole her heart?
You can't steal what's given away.
Love isn't blind, but sometimes it's short-sighted,
And if you're not careful you can lose your way.
For as long as I've known her, she's either been with someone,
Breaking up with someone, or dating five or six men
Looking for that special someone.
Her girlfriends were all good-naturedly envious
Of her beauty, her warmth, her sense of humor.
Everywhere we'd go, she'd always be the center of attention
Without trying to be.
When he came along, at first they appeared to be
An unlikely pairing, but they did look wonderful together.
Soon their differences only served to make them more attractive to each other.
And even they began to think of themselves as the perfect couple.
She was a stunning bride.
How can she say she's lost without him?
He's not a compass; he never was.
How can she say life has no meaning?
Life meant something before he came along; it still does.
How can she say he stole her heart?
You can't steal what's given away.
Love isn't blind, but sometimes it's short-sighted,
And if you're not careful you can lose your way.
At the wedding his friends clapped him on the back,
Congratulated him, not knowing that he never quite felt
He measured up to her standards.
Neither did he nor did we know that her entire sense
Of self-esteem was directly tied to
Whomever was the current man in her life.
To hear him discuss it, he says that every day
During the last two years of their marriage
He was consciously inching away, emotionally distancing himself from her,
But it was done in such a gradual, imperceptible manner
That when he took that final, and to him, inevitable step out the door,
To her it was a bolt out of the blue.
The irony of it is, in his own way,
He's just as lost and as hurt and as angry
About all of this as she is,
Though she will never believe that.
How can she say she's lost without him?
He's not a compass; he never was.
How can she say life has no meaning?
Life meant something before he came along; it still does.
How can she say he stole her heart?
You can't steal what's given away.
Love isn't blind, but sometimes it's short-sighted,
And if you're not careful you can lose your way.
You can lose your way, you can lose your way.