i reached into the dark water
hope heavier than the anchor below
the hook lodged in your sharp mouth
made me braver than i should have been
you thrashed and fought for freedom
i thought i could save you anyways
hands trembling but heart still steady
i was not afraid of your teeth
until blood bloomed between your jaws
and my pinky vanished into your hunger
a part of me claimed by your survival
a price i never meant to offer you
now i cradle the ache of absence
not the wound but what it means
sometimes mercy demands a sacrifice
sometimes love leaves you incomplete