It was excruciation.
Shrunken chest
depleted lungs
perturbed mind
and a covetous heart.
He had stripped me.

In a way I became flammable.
Anything that
hurt
burned
set fire to my insides
and consumed me.

Flames fractured and ignited bone
sluiced through my veins
splintered my ribs
and I became the martyr
to every
ravenous
fire.

And to think about you
is oppressive.
How I hurt you
how I burned you
and how I fell in love with you
after
you had left.