Almost Kind

You look lovely in the doorway Like a man who meant to stay And I still like how you say my name When you need somewhere to lay You brought wine and late excuses Both improved by candlelight And I smiled because I missed you And because I knew I might I could ask where you have been But then you’d have to tell me And darling, you were always best When truth came dressed politely Come here, love Sit down, love Let the evening be almost kind Hold me close Not too close Leave a little room behind You are mine When you remember I am yours When I forget Come here, love Sit down, love We are not done lying yet You have such a gift for silence When a sentence needs a spine And your hands are soft as mercy When they’re reaching after mine I have kept your favourite glassware And the books you never read There are ghosts less sentimental Than the things you almost said I could call this forgiveness But that seems rather grand Let’s say I moved the knife aside So you could take my hand Come here, love Sit down, love Let the evening be almost kind Hold me close Not too close Leave a little room behind You are mine When you remember I am yours When I forget Come here, love Sit down, love We are not done lying yet No, don’t look wounded It doesn’t suit your face You always wore devotion With such temporary grace And I don’t mean to hurt you Not more than you can use Some people call it cruelty I call it paying dues Still, the rain is on the window Still, your coat is on the chair Still, my foolish heart gets quiet When it notices you there So kiss me like the first time Before we learned the cost You can be the thing I wanted I can be the thing you lost Come here, love Sit down, love Let the evening be almost kind Hold me close Not too close Leave a little room behind You are mine When you remember I am yours When I forget Come here, love Sit down, love We are not done lying yet You look lovely in the doorway Like a man who meant to stay And I still like how you say my name When there’s nothing left to say