she went over to his apartment
  clutching her decision
  and he said, did you come here to tell me goodbye?
  so she built a skyscraper of procrastination
  and then she leaned out the twenty-fifth floor window
  of her reply
  and she felt like an actress
  just reading her lines
  when she finally said
  yes. it's really goodbye this time
  and far below was the blacktop
  and the tiny toy cars
  and it all fell so fast
  and it all fell so far
    and she said:
  you are a miracle but that is not all
  you are also a stiff drink and i am on call
  you are a party and i am a school night
  and i'm lookin' for my door key
  but you are my porch light
    and you'll never know, dear
  just how much i loved you
  you'll probably think this was
  just my big excuse
  but i stand committed
  to a love that came before you
  and the fact that i adore you
  is but one of my truths
    what of the mother
  whose house is in flames
  and both of her children
  are in their beds crying
  and she loves them both
  with the whole of her heart
  but she knows she can only
  carry one at a time?
  she's choking on the smoke
  of unthinkable choices
  she is haunted by the voices
  of so many desires
  she's bent over from the business
  of begging forgiveness
  while frantically running around
  putting out fires
    but then what kind of scale
  compares the weight of two beauties
  the gravity of duties
  or the ground speed of joy?
  tell me what kind of gauge
  can quantify elation?
  what kind of equation
  could i possibly employ?
  and you'll never know, dear
  just how much i loved you
  you probably think this was
  just my big excuse
  but i stand committed
  to a love that came before you
  and the fact that i adore you
  is just one of my truths
    so i
  i'm goin' home
  to please the one i so love pleasing
  and i don't expect
  he'll have much sympathy for my grieving
  but i guess that this is the price
  that we pay for the privilege
  of living for even a day
  in a world with so many things
  worth believing
  in