You held your fireflies to your chest
so they could ignite the fire within your ribs
& you sipped your wine by the pale
moonlight
in the dark, your only friend
frail hands
groping this thing we call a heart
sending it away to the sands
no direction in which you call your home
no creature to hold your hand
bruises from all the silence
scars from all the pain
& you swore they'd never break you
you swore you'd stay the same
when they finally released you
you walked past the iron gates
your hair a different color
you wore a different face
& you saw the world
as decayed as it was
and upon a wall you scribbled your name
“___ was here long ago”
then you left;
you could never be the same