PenWomanShip

Candy hearts
ersatz, sour on the tongue
an arsenic taint, curdling kisses

the scent of ghostly roses
in winter, lush and crimson
as hot blood, spilt
crushed petals
of the flowers you did not receive

letters arrive
no return, bearing only his name
a void to soak luridly with
the pulp fiction of an unloved heart

ignorance is bliss – a lie
for sheltering deceit
a platitude to cradle traitors

like a surgeon,
perform your dissection, locate the infection
find the worm at the root – cut it off –

it is better to know
best to bear
the burden of proof.