In my life I’ve loved several people who have been fires

And when I say fires, I don’t mean that sappy ******* like igniting a spark in me that fueled happiness and joy -

No. They were the fires that destroy entire forests, scorching anything in its path once lit.

At first I thought the warmth they gave was radiation of love

only to realize that the flames of jealousy,

manipulation, and control consumed me like oxygen,

coughed me up like smoke-filled lungs,

and left my body and mind in ashes.

I’ve been burned, and once flesh is scarred it never looks or feels the same.

But skins cells regrow, and burned down forests do too.