Epitaph for the Guitar Man

Go ahead,
Revere your calloused fingers as a monument to your art
Wear your heart on your sleeve as long as the crowd is still dwindling down
Just as long as humanity remains a guessing game for suckers
A few broken souls will surely buy into your plea for directions and stick around.
But you’re not lost,
You’re pulled over somewhere between a u-turn and a turn-off
And if you can’t tear your stupid beautiful eyes away from the reflective glass
You’ll run into a warning sign
Still, if a crash is the master plan I hope you step on the gas.
Dedicate another song to the girl who sleeps to see you
Abuse another quotation to break her heart
Reach right in and cradle it as it races towards a supernova
She’ll thank you if-
She imagines romance while you’re inside her
She’ll hide behind her eyelids till she forgets that you can’t feel anything with your fingertips.
Play another cover and pretend it’s meant for someone
But only if the satellites will flatter the laugh you fake for her sake
And only say you love her if you don’t have to keep a straight face.
Cover your bases
Place bets on both of you before the other runs away
And autograph as many shards of your words as you can
Before you choke on them.
And three rounds down it’s clear
It’s not your depth that keeps you at a distance
And not my smile that holds you here
I can’t blame your guitar for stealing your heart
It’s not your callouses that keep you from feeling mine as it pauses
And forgets to start
You’re just callous.