unrequited

I met you in the fading light, A chance encounter, sweet and light. Your laughter danced like autumn leaves, And in that moment, my heart believed. We talked for hours, side by side, I told myself to push aside, This spark that flared with every glance, But love had written its romance. Yet soon I saw, as stories go, I'd played a part you'd never know. Your heart was elsewhere, far away, And I was left, just in the gray. I watched you love, with eyes so clear, Another soul, without a tear. While I, the stranger in this tale, Became the ghost who'd never pale. I tried to hide, to pull away. But this love refused to fade or sway. It grew with silence, deeper still, An abiding ache I couldn't kill. So now I walk these empty streets, A quiet heart with quiet beats. You were the dream I couldn't keep, A love that stayed, now I must sleep.