On some level, I think I always understood
That these hands of mine were clumsy, not clever.
And I tried to do the best that I could,
But try as I might,
I couldn't bring myself to hold you.
It's a secret I keep tucked inside my chest
With this heart of mine that's guilty, not remorseful.
There is love that doesn't have a place to rest,
But it would have buried you
If it had settled on your shoulders.
On some level, I think I always understood
That a ship could never really love an anchor,
So I did the only thing that I could
And severed the rope
To set you sailing from my harbor.
There are times when I still wonder about you--
You are someone I have loved but never known,
And you'll never see the reasons I had
For keeping my claws away
When they were close enough to hurt you.