When I Go Down

She stares to her pathetic reflection in the mirror,
Letting out a sorrowful sigh; she watches
As she wastes away to a sad plastic mess,
And drowning from head down in your lies, she knows
That all along this was going to be the death of her,
But still, she put her life on the line, hoping
That maybe just this once, she could be the one,
The one that you'd call the best mistake you've ever made.
But in her reflection she looks to her icy eyes,
Full of hatred for what she has become, but she traces,
Where your fingers used to press into her skin,
Etching out the dimples and the laughter lines,
Smiling - you'd press your lips softly against hers,
Holding her close with debris of the sun burning in your eyes,
And with her heart beating naively against your chest,
You would look her in the eye and lie one more time,
Whispering your sad excuses of love into her pulsing ear,
But as a tear falls to a shattered picture frame, she laughs,
As she looks to herself and whispers: "Honey, this time,
When I go down, I'm taking you down with me!"
And the nicotine shades her lungs, lacing the bitter-sweet truth,
She sighs: "But you were the best thing that ever happened to me."

-Jenna Elphick
April 24, 2007