bite

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