Peeled back and tearing into the crimson pulp inside

shredded sense of clarity to which your heart replied

I piece together this flesh collage of broken silent tears

no longer ruled by self- inflicted arrow-headed fears

ensconced well within his glittered costumed nights

he’s shorn all else in exchange for fading rebel lights

yet questioned whether well-loved this other far away

when nearer still with another I wrestle a deep dismay

oft spoken of was this love once a stranger to my soul

mocked it was by such as I, this all-consuming whole

denied with a certainty that would turn most fools away

true future faced of empty arms and fantasies replayed

yet I cannot love another with this depth I love with you

my own lies to be told if I pretend that fact is not so true

crying then is my heart’s release when I see you lying there

escape to my empty room to pretend again like I don’t care

a slapped face is well-deserved for daring to dream like this

but connected as I know we are, it’s one I can’t dismiss

heavy-footed death when here to carry me on to the light

to eternity with steadfast wings I’ll cherish it, wrong or right