There is healing and breaking
and at this point,
I’m not sure which one I am
the walls have been falling down
for quite some time now.

I’ve come to look at other people
as kerosene
turning my flickering flame
into a whole house fire

I wish I could burn this hearth
to the ground
and ignore the tugging and
snapping in my chest

I wonder if you would understand
how my organs are punctured
how I kiss bones rather than lips
because I don’t want soft
I want fragile
breakable

(snap)

This pain,
this anguish never
belonged to me
there’s another soul inside
of me
swallowing me whole.
— cmh