lately
the ceaseless
stress compounded
by merciless heat
has left me
shattered in
a state of
lingering losses

i am wrung out
watching hope as it
evaporates into
scalding steam
i still yearn for
despite the scarring

loneliness
the sugar free
substitute for
happiness in a
world of chemical
alternatives
turned cancerous

now when i
dream of her
it is to question
what i did to be
treated so poorly
without getting
excuse after excuse
in lieu of any
acceptance of fault

we romanticze
raisins as the ending
grapes wither excitedly
upon the vine to fulfil
when each clustered gem
longs to lodge itself
in the throats of
those who would callously
leave them to become
shrunken reminders
of who they wanted to be

she shined so bright
as i basked in her glow
plumped up with the
sweetness she bestowed
the gradual gradient
of sun sickness was
lost in the promises
never meant to be true