you besieged me
camping at my heart’s gates,
refusing to give up,
starving me out.
i sent an occasional
defensive attack,
arrows and barbs
of disbelief and disavowal,
but these strikes grew infrequent
with the growth of my hunger.
so when you heard me crying,
defeated, exhausted, famished,
when you saw my white flag on the parapet
and i clinging, weak, to the flagpole,
you like a friend opened my gates
running to the tower to
sweetly, sweetly
like a father
gather me in your arms, to
sweetly, sweetly
like a lover
kiss away my tears, to
sweetly, sweetly
like a mother
feed me bread and honey.
you raided me to rescue me,
emptied me to fill me,
fought me to embrace me.
you sweet, sweet contradiction.
