That Malicious Thief

Past:
My first thought was she lied in every word
That malicious thief who stole my heart so long ago
I could feel the deception dripping from every word
I could see the lies in the sound of her voice
Even though she spoke to me over the phone
I could see it in her eyes
She told me things far from the truth
She told me what she thought I wanted her to say
She never understood the truth of my heart
That no matter how painful her honesty was
Her lies hurt me far worse
I listened to her voice
I listened to her lies
It took me months to see
That the girl I loved so very much
Had been gone for so very long
If she was ever even real at all

Present:
As I listened to this thing that wore her skin
That malicious thief who stole my heart so long ago
I began to wonder if the change was really in her
Or if it was actually in me
Was it love that blinded me to her heartless stare
Was it lust that blinded me to her wandering eye
Has my pain changed me so much that I see through her
That I see through to the empty cavity where a heart would reside
I've known for so long that there would only be one love in my life
That there would only be one woman to hold my heart
I always took this knowledge for a blessing
That the one woman would be perfect
And that the love would last forever
I see the truth now
I see it in the sound of her voice
I feel it in her lying eyes
I feel it in my heart

Future:
She no longer even holds a place in my heart
That malicious thief who stole it so long ago
The space where love lay is empty now
My heart cold and lonely
Withered and dry
Nothing left but dark days and lonely nights
And thoughts of what might have been and could be
Nothing left but hope and fear and dread and love
And though my days are cold and my nights
oh so dark
I hold on to hope
I hold on to love
I know that somewhere out there
She's waiting for me to find her
I can feel her in the night winds
I can see her in my dreams
Someday a thief will once again steal my heart
A thief whose eyes don't lie
A thief whose words are as true as her heart