I didn’t know back then

You stood on stage, I sat row three Sang every word like you wrote it for me But your smile hit the back wall, not my face And I missed the way you drifted away You called me home, but your tone was thin Like love was just some song we’d been in I cleaned your mess, kept quiet and kind While someone else danced in your mind I didn’t know back then She was written in your chords I was humming heartbeats While you tuned in to hers I clapped for your encore But it was her you bowed toward And I was last to know "And I clapped... like a fool…" You said you needed time alone But your suitcase sang in a different tone Copenhagen, Amsterdam, stories I missed While I stayed and unpacked your lies like gifts I didn’t know back then That her name was in your songs You were there in body But your heart was gone I stood in our kitchen While you played her refrain And I was last again Now I know But knowing only stings Like a minor chord That never quite resolves anything