Emptiness begins to inflate my heart

My bones rumble—

This is the inevitable.

Self-preservation blinded me to the warmth

exuding out of every pore,

a testament of willing allegiance

mistakenly taken as content.

I didn’t feel the hunger,

didn’t see your eyes

as an extension of your mouth.

You wanted consent to hunt me,

be your sheep—

Something I didn’t understand

until I watched your hunger fade.

Feeling your warmth slowly retreat,

saving itself for a seed that can grow.

Regret dies sharp

and cold.

Taken a future with it.