Allie Cat

Your green eyes search mine,
afraid I am going to hurt you
like somebody else before me
may have,
or at least you think they did
in your unexposed mind.

From that moment,
I knew
I was meant for you.

I brought you home,
all wild and untamed,
claws out
and ready to strike
if I said or did the wrong thing.

I, too, am a bit wild
and untamed,
but ready to love you
no matter how many scratches
or bite marks
you leave on my skin.

We grow together
for twenty-three days
until your last breath
in my arms
leaves me
empty and tearless,
and unable to breathe
myself.

You'd think I'd be a pro
at saying goodbye,
but my sides still ache
from the words
I don't want to say
yet again.

I kiss you
as you slip away
and I feel the cracks
in my heart
bust wide open.