A Beautiful Way to Leave

You always knew which words to soften Which truths were better left unsaid You kissed me in the middle of an argument Then called it making sense I learned the language of your silences The difference between fine and fine You had a talent for being present While keeping one foot outside And now it's twenty kinds of foolish Trying to make the timing right You were looking for an exit I was turning on the lights And isn't it convenient How the story gets revised You were only being honest Once you'd run out of lies You had a beautiful way to leave Made it sound like saving me Said you couldn't give me what I needed Like you had a mate to believe Oh you were gentle with the ending So you never had to breathe You broke my heart so carefully You called it kindness I called it cruelty What a beautiful way to leave I found your sweater in the hallway Still folded like you might return It's strange how ordinary objects Keep the things we couldn't learn You told our friends you wanted different Things from life and maybe so But you never mentioned all the evenings You were halfway out the door And I could have handled being unwanted If you'd only let me know Instead you held me like a habit You were frightened to outgrow And isn't it impressive How you never take the blame You can rearrange the details But the ending stays the same You had a beautiful way to leave Made a show like saving me Said you couldn't give me what I needed Like you had to make me believe Oh you were gentle with the ending So you never had to breathe You broke my heart so carefully You called it kindness I called it cruelty What a beautiful way to leave I used to think that love was measured By the damage we could take That staying meant you meant it Even when you couldn't stay And maybe you were never cruel Just cowardly in a graceful way But there's nothing quite as lonely As being loved by someone halfway I hope you find the perfect language For the things you couldn't say I hope someday you understand That mercy doesn't look this way You had a beautiful way to leave Made a stranger out of me Said you only wanted what was best Then took the best of everything Oh you were gentle with the ending But I finally learned to see You broke my heart so carefully You called it kindness I called it cruelty And I don't need your sympathy Or another apology You had a beautiful way to leave But I found a better way to heal You were careful with the ending Careless with the years Funny how you left so quietly And still I hear you everywhere