An Open Letter

I let you in

To see me for who I was

All that I was

All that I wasn’t

Undressed, naked

Down to my soul

My light exposed

My secrets on display

Yours alone to devour

And you did

Bite after bite

The light began bleeding

Flooding everything in its path

Dripping

Oozing

Squeezing

Running

Until there was nothing

And from nothing came something

Something new

Something born from the bleeding

A sheet that now covered every inch of what used to be

A lump in my throat that won’t go down

A thought in my head that screams at night

A pain that aches even after the initial blow

A ghost that won’t let me rest

It howled, It screamed, It demanded

Patches

They covered the wounds

But they didn’t heal

Then the light began to shine again

Healthy

Bright

Complete and whole

As if the bullet holes had closed

But they never do

They still run red at the sight of you

Oozing at the sound of your voice

Wincing at the thought of another attack

So the sheet appears

My protector

My guardian

Then all at once

It’s as if I never knew you