Not My Knight

Ashley Mueth

So intoxicating and hauntingly beautiful,
The deep blue ocean that crashed into me,
An idyllic fantasy, the knight that saved me
From my reality,
We met that day and picnicked
Behind the powerlines and watched the stars
On that summer night, laid out on that hot asphalt road.
You whispered words of protection and love
after smoking a pack of cigarettes.
You said you wanted to marry me,
but you kissed another girl.
You called me on my birthday
hundreds of miles away and swore
that you would never hurt me.
But, that was a lie.
Because how else
Could you have
moved on so quickly?
I drove you around the city, to the beach,
And you raised your voice at me
Because I’m an anxious driver
I cried and apologized for my fear
Because you’d said that you’d protect me.
But words are words,
And you can use them to cheat.
Or, you can use them
Honestly.
Your words were my delusion,
Those eyes and lips that pulled me in,
Taught me that I’m the queen,
And I don’t want to be saved.