the inner workings of a thief

the absence of love leaves me wanting. the abundance

of love draping over your shoulder, did you ever cherish it

the way i would have with my empty palms?

the emeralds and rubies, accessible love, were handed to you,

rendered meaningless. you wanted my fossilized love, the purest

diamond extracted — stolen from the earth’s sacred caves —

with high-pressure precision. the glittering jewel, a symbol

of promise, awes your friends, protected behind a refracted display.

but when the sparkle fails to captivate your judgmental audience,

you remove me from the velvet pedestal, crush me

under your shoes into fine powder — no

one else can have such a beautiful gem

after your hands have graced this chemical heart.