xi. another burnt letter

Invisible lines choking me,
you felt them, didn't you?

For you had seen the house,
the flower-filled parking space,
and the loneliness still clinging to its walls.

This is where I grew up;
this is how I was raised,
this is how I was held my entire life.

And yet, you dared to cross it.

Maybe I left the door open,
maybe I let you stare for too long.
Maybe that's on me.

This is where I learned to breathe;
this is where I learned to hold my own hand.
This is how the world taught me love.

But you swore you saw it,
cursing that curiosity is eating you alive,
and still, you crossed it.

You knew better,
This is just an old story, repackaged in sugar and stolen stares,
you know how it ends.

Then why bother?

You called it bravery,
but all you did was burn what you couldn't fix.

You tore hours from her hands,
painted sorrow into her smile,
just to watch it collapse.

And when it's finally over,

you painted your name all over it.