By the Time

By the time I learned how to say your name,

you

were already gone.

By the time I finally learned the game,

you

were already done.

By the time I learned how to speak,

you

already shut the lid.

By the time I finally learned how to seek,

you

had already hid.

And,

by the time my voice was quiet,

and by the time my song was sung,

you had watched my hopes and dreams

go from old to young.

By the time you had said,

you understood,

I had already finished my piece.

It hadn't gone from bad to worse,

but for a moment,

it made me freeze.

Somehow, by the time I convinced myself,

that all was sewn well,

I had already lost myself

and sadly,

I fell.