Blood dripped from your words
Each phrase crashed to a halt
The sound like a knife clattering on the floor
Breath sweet and spiced
But hinted at the scent of gasoline
Knuckles white
Fingers clenched around the book of matches
Missing only one
Used to blaze the forest behind you
Embers sparkling like distant stars
As what few trees that stood between you and I
Went up in smoke
You disappeared behind the climbing orange tendrils
It was the only way you could go on
I did not agree
But it didn’t stop you
It couldn’t
I couldn’t.

they said blood runs thicker than water
but it ran faster than any waterfall I could dream
I screamed
you’re supposed to leave the knife in to limit the bleeding
but you ripped it out and it poured
like rain in a storm, no land was dry
I cried
it echoed like thunder you couldn’t ignore it
but you did

the world was so dull
pale and awful
grays engulfing my eyesight until it caught you
red like roses on the first date
orange like the sun setting while we waited for the stars
yellow like sunlight on your face when I woke up next to you
green like the lighter you always carried with you
blue like your eyes the first time I saw them
purple like the hometown color we drove away from so much.
But, then you left.
There were still colors,
but they just weren’t the same.
red like my eyes when I couldn’t stop crying
orange like the street lights you drove under leaving my house the last time
yellow like the sunlight in my eyes reminding me I wasn’t next to you
green like flannel you left in my room
blue like your eyes the last time I saw them
purple like the circles hanging under my eyes
the world was so simple
pale and perfect
grays engulfing my eyesight until it caught you
but I wish it never did.