If Only They Told Me

If only they told me

Right from the beginning

“they die you know

these people

to whom you attach your fondness

and they are even harder to detach

and they are even harder to detach
we should be reminded daily

told over and over
like the warnings

on cigarette packages

love is addictive

avoid inhaling

because withdrawal

causes emotional attacks on the heart

for which there is no cure

but realization

comes with crisis

when we bury these loves

and they don’t decompose

in our lifetime.