battlegrounds

this city is in shambles.

debris lines the sidewalks of the streets we use to walk together.

I can hear bombs going off in the distance

while the embers of this burning building still glow in the night.

radiation fills my heart and suffocates my mind

my back remembers the twist of the knife

but every stitch sewn up my spine reminds me to forgive.

tonight there are a few casualties--but mostly just a lot of scars.

I have a lot of scars

but they don't hurt me anymore.

You don't hurt me anymore.

I've been camped out in the bitter cold of no man's land for months now

trying to decide where the enemy lies

now I know that it's not you

residing behind those enemy lines.

because you've got a Purple Heart

and you wear it on your sleeve

courageous, strong, honest, kind

but terrified of loving me.