his hand rests heavy on my leg
as if someone has threatened to
steal me away from his embrace

our trust is in the basement
locked away in solitude....
sometimes when he's away
i sneak it prayers under the doorway

grips on my arm become too tight
when he discovers my clandestine doings
"you don't deserve trust"
he screams with his eyes

i put on the perfect smile
he wants me to have, but
my soul craves freedom
from these chains i've allowed
it to call home for so long

i asked him how much longer
we would allow ourselves to
drown in each other's dubiety

but he didn't understand my metaphor,
so he locked me away too, leaving me
only with sanguine whispers between
me and what never got a chance to truly be....