Death

as I've deconstructed from my previous religion, I grappled w a lot of emotions

Not friends, not strangers, stuck in between each other’s boundaries
We hide in each other’s shadows
We scheme in the dark

Once, I thought I was looking in the mirror at
One, singular monster who takes and takes and takes.
But my teeth are not sharp enough
Nor are they strong enough
To snatch and consume all the yearnings of my heart.

Despite our differences, when They take me,
I will greet Them as an equal.
Sharing old stories as if our lives weren’t intertwined,
Tracing the veins in my rotting arms as if there was still blood pumping through them,
Laughing at the wilting rose left on my nightstand