Saved

My love, I have given you
the secret manuscript to my soul
but you repeatedly throw it away
leaving it crumpled in a ball
Sometimes you pull it out of the trash,
smooth the wrinkles one by one
begin to read it, memorize the words
but then you come undone
Crumple it back into a ball
and drop it into the trash again
where it gets lost for awhile
among other letters that have been
Forgotten once they are read
Dismissed as too lengthy
but it finds its way back to the top
because it's a part of me
You've even brought it close
to a roaring fire many times
when your only desire
was to make me disappear
as if it would erase those lines
But here and now before you
torn, charred and aged
this paper rests in your hands
as your eyes still scan the page
For answers and hidden clues
as the light begins to fade
upon this worn piece of paper
a part of my soul you have saved