Love is like smoke,

it can never be tangible.

You can never hold on to it, no matter how hard you clench your fists.

You mistake the musty bitter stench for the sweet taste of candy.

You don't realize how quickly this smoke enters your nostrils and rots your teeth.

You still have the burnt aftertaste from the last relationship that went up in flames.

You will still persist. The burns on your lungs have not deterred you.

 You will still think it beautiful, how love clouds your vision,

how it wraps around your eyelids like ivy.

Walking through your mundane life, you think your love will keep you safe from the beat of life’s drum, pushing you, you mindless soldier, to the precipice.

If only you’d listened to your mother.