i want you to be honest with me
brutally,
completely,
honest
in a way that lays you bare.
then exposed and vulnerable,
i want you to see me
to see how i've always known you
i've always seen you
you've always been exposed to me
and i want you to feel that fear
to let the terror fill your veins with ice
and then i want you to exhale
and realize that it's all okay
that you're not as hideous as you feel
and that your shadows aren't really all that special
you're not that dark,
your brooding is quite ordinary
and then i want you to let yourself off the hook
to stop self-flagellating,
bathing yourself in your own blood
just to bear witness to the fear you feel in every inch of your brittle bones
i want to watch you incubate
regrowing a spine that was never really all that strong
becoming who you've always been
and walking off, happy and alone,
the love between us a ghost,
a memory
lurking in the dark corners of your insides.