The heat
And I touch it
It burns but I don’t cry
A memory that stings
Comes to life nearby
Scratching in the underbrush of lessons learned
And the wall that I built is doing its job
Holding out the unwanted the dangerous
The heartbreakers
The ones who steal every part of you
Then laugh as they walk on severed pieces of your soul
Wearing cleated boots
Yes, that wall is there for a reason
The letterhead reads “previously owned”
And the rap sheet says I’m damaged goods
It’s true, you know
Inside my charade my bomb shelter my bulletproof heart
Silly girl, put your clothes back on
And go find your mommy and daddy
I can’t save your soul
And I’m not stupid enough to think that you can make me happy
The cold
And I shiver
Reaching into fur-lined pockets but finding them empty
The ice is slick and the ice is thin
But it hasn’t frozen me yet