A shield to a sword

You use silence like a shield

for protection, you say-

as if I am a wild beast

gnashing, biting, clawing

you to shreds.

Meanwhile your silence

is the sword that keeps

slicing at my skin,

finding all the weak spots,

seeking to land a final

death blow.

It wounds me outside of

space and time,

wherever I dwell,

no matter how far

I think I've come.

Your shadow sword tracks

me by my heart, slow to

change, stubborn like yours.

This time, though, I think I've

finally found a way to trick it

for good.

If I pierce my own heart.

If I bleed it dry.

It will never find me again.

Keep your shield.

You will never know my pain.