Expert in a Dying Field

by Elizabeth Stokes

Can we erase our history?
Is it as easy as this?
Plausible deniability
I swear I've never heard of it
And I can close the door on us
But the room still exists
And I know you're in it

Hours of phrases I've memorised
Thousands of lines on the page
All of my notes in a desolate pile
I haven't touched in an age
And I can burn the evidence
But I can't burn the pain
And I can't forget it

How does it feel
To be an expert in a dying field?
How do you know
It's over when you can't let go?
You can't let go, you can't stop, can't rewind
Love is learned over time
'Til your an expert in a dying field

The city is painted with memory
The water will never run clear
The birds and the bees and the flowers and trees
They know that we've both been here
And I can flee the country for the worst of the year
But I'll come back to it

Can we erase our history?
Is it as easy as this?
Maybe in other realities
The road never took this twist
And I can close the door on us
But the room still exists