Loving you was like

swallowing seeds.

At first, sprouts rose

At the bottom of my stomach,

Young and emerald-green—

And without warning, I found

Flowers within myself,

Sugar-pink tulips

And Queen Anne’s lace

Tickling my sides.

You made me beautiful—

I was all soft petals

In the loveliest colors—

But they never stopped growing,

Pressing against my lungs,

Clustering lavender under my skin.

Branches grew in

The spaces between my ribs,

Bulging beneath my collarbone;

Roped vines climbed the walls

Of my throat.

You made me beautiful,

And for you,

I suffocated.