i. impenetrable skin and callouses feet and broken limbs. i am too fragile to hold the stars and the moon; they sink into me via osmosis, threatening to spill. the solar system as my nervous system, and the seven seas pumping through my veins with a rush of adrenaline so that i’ll always have salt water to heal my broken bones. my flesh clamored against my ribcage, feelings vigorously pushing, forcing me to bruise. your eyes like the ocean, so deep and cerulean made my heart susceptible to attack.

ii. they say that the earth is a magnetic field; and if you were north, i’ll be south.

iii. and if you’re the shells on the shores, i’ll be the incoming waves; no matter how many times you’ve failed me, i’ll always be trying.

iv. the fourth time i’ve watched you leave, it was like witnessing you on a plane that’s about to crash. you were always my achilles’ heel.

v. you kiss the bruises on my skin, without knowing that you've healed all the shattered dreams. hollow bones. but now, they ignite with flames. and i am burning, still.

vi. i still miss you, you know.

vii. but you were collateral damage.