The Essential Ingredient

To you, it's a small thing. 

To me, it's an atomic bomb. 

Rupturing our world, 

Spreading toxic fallout, 

Deep beneath the soil, 

Of our once beautiful love. 

To you, it's irrelevant.

Miniscule.

inconsequential. 

To me, it's a poison. 

Injected.

Ingested. 

Blackening the core of our beings, 

Striping away the sweetness, 

Dripping.

Spreading.

Leaving nothing but bitter, 

In a once exquisite romance. 

To you, they are merely words, 

Uttered in haste,

To delay the inevitable. 

A sad, sorry attempt,

At avoidance, 

Distraction. 

To me, they are the foundation, 

Of now diminishing desire, 

Dwindling respect. 

Walls slowly erecting, 

Building a fortress, 

Guarding my wounded heart. 

To you, they're an utterance, 

Carelessly spoken, 

To avoid any chance, 

Of losing what is yours. 

To me, they caused it to flee. 

To me, they are the thief, 

Sneaking about, 

Collecting our passion, 

Vanishing into the night,

Taking with them, 

The essential ingredient, 

For our unique brand of love, 

 Trust.

Author's Note

originally written in 2017 and re-written on 1/16/24