The Bullet That Didn’t

Scars left by hollow tips 

Hollow hearts empty of feeling 

The proverbial gun blast of us exploded in one ugly moment 

Fragmenting a once promising love 

Splitting us like firewood 

Making us two 

Hearts that beat as one 

Instead of one 

Minds that merged into a single body 

No more 

The damage is done, or is it? 

Were the shots misdirected as you tremble with emotion 

Striking fear and mental barbs 

Trying to love a loose cannon 

Whose wick is short and fuse not stable 

I lit a match to see into your darkness 

Accidentally sparking a life spiraling toward me 

Twisting and turning with such velocity 

Determined and ready to explode on contact 

Shattering my heart to pieces 

From one misguided shot 

The bullet knows no pain 

It is cold, heartless and without a soul 

It has no name unless assigned 

It has no shame unless defined 

You shot at me with Hate, not Love 

It must have deflected or hit a wall 

Cause as usual I come out unscathed 

The bullet that didn’t explode that day 

One shot through the Heart without breaking the Skin 

  

Tony Lavale Jefferson, Jr. 2013