Cleavage
A litany of curse words stay curled on my tongue
How long have I been this warped
A slow burn cleaving in my chest
And now the scars have seethed right through
I can't keep it all to myself anymore
Some of it yes, but much of it runs wild
Commanding itself out of me,
Like hallucinations of the heart
Twenty years from when you left me
A little more, but who's counting
I have tried to repair the wounds
Keep them at bay, wrapped up safely
But I stay split, padding but not filling the space
Who can truly see me and love me wholly
Who can I allow to enter, fully inhabiting me
A terrifying plea if I ever knew one
And now, feeling more a scarecrow than ever
Stitched and repaired and resisting refinement
Cowardly, although that's not my role to play
I scare others away with intensity and hope
And a little bit of hate, because I am black and blue
And red all over, red and read
You will not come back no matter the bargaining
And so no one gets to win.
