when I opened up and let you in
displaying my true spirit,
exposing my vulnerability
you, simply saw an opportunity
to score unanswered points
to prove your illusion,
justify your demeanor,
and declare hollow victory

days and weeks have turned
to color draining years now
but the story never changes…
I have to push you away
to maintain my sanity
and not be whirlpooled
to the bottom of your sea
of diffidence and demons

and the wound never heals,
frozen in time and crushed
like a trophied rose in wax paper
between the pages of an album
of self-edited memories
turning my once crimson heart
into a brown, brittle corpse
collecting dust on a shelf

Salisbury, North Carolina  2015