Don’t let me use you. I will,

but tenderly.

I found your words 

you wrote them on parchment

left them in "bottles with cork stoppers" on
street corners

not for me - for everyone

tangible words, you said

you said, 
“i will cut out of my heart all the 
things that dont serve me”

please use a sharp, surgical instrument

sterilize it well

if you infect your heart

it will feel like mine

you said I don’t try hard enough

I have to try hard not to be there

leave everything

only to find you checked out 
before I arrived 

and laugh at myself