The Nails Still Rusting in the Frame

The Nails Still Rusting in the Frame

I swept the dust from corners
found the rot in every board
Hung my coat by the door of a house we couldn’t afford
Painted over water damage
hammered trust into crooked wood
Laid down cheap promises, hoping they’d turn out good.

The nails still rusting in the frame
The walls knowing exactly who to blame
Every picture removed left a mark behind
A pale square of memory I can’t unwind.
We measured the silence in the cracks up the wall
Sat with the laughter turning bitter
waiting for the fall, Boxed up the letters

swept up the glass and the shame
Left fingerprints on a handle I won’t touch again.
The nails still rusting in the frame
The walls knowing exactly who to blame
Every picture removed left a mark behind
A pale square of memory I can’t unwind.

The door closed soft, but the lock clicked heavy
Walking through the morning, trying to hold it steady.
The nails still rusting in the frame
The walls knowing exactly who to blame
Every picture removed left a mark behind
A pale square of memory I can’t unwind.