Damaged Hearts

He began to unravel me,
stitch by stitch
pulling me apart at the seams

until I began to lose
perception of myself,
staring alone in the dark,
he deconstructed me.

His words were razor blades,
cutting through me
leaving holes within my soul,
my identity contorted
into the cage he created,

but I never survive containment,
knowing I would wither
if I didn't break.

Now what remains of me
all full of holes
has fallen into you.

Still struggling to rediscover
myself, by turns becoming
asphyxiated with fear waiting
for the guillotine to drop,

you only hold me up
and speak not with bullets
but with a caress.