shoelaces

come undone,
untied,
like shoelaces.

a loose thread pulled,
unraveling;
my sweater's gone
and i'm naked
bruises showing.

pretend that they're not there;
that they haven't always been there (been there all along).

you're undone.
unraveling.
untied.
my stitches will be soon.

the taste of blood
not foreign to my mouth,
but the dish you're serving it in is.
everyone's watching me
eat it.
weighing my reaction.

but my hands are tied
tied to you.
tied by plans we made
love we made
bed we made
now we have to sleep in it.

i've cut cords before, mostly.
but always end up
tying up.
bound to one another
sharing our noose.

you tied me down.
told me this is what love looks like; this is how you hit.

years of hanging by a thread
filled with knots and frays and dirt and blood and spit.
now it's tied around my finger so i won't forget.

i'm barefoot and
naked and
my bruises are healing and
the taste of blood receding and

we're undone. untied. like shoelaces.