Poem #25: Hey, Jealousy!

I didn’t know Jealousy

Until I met you.

She flew in,

A feverish green phantom from the darkness and

Carved your name

Into my chest,

Piercing my lungs,

Leaving me gasping so hard that

I can’t even breathe

Your name anymore.

Jealousy introduced me

To the ground you walk on.

I envy it

Because it knows the weight of your body against it, and

It knows where you’re going.

Jealousy presented me

With your wardrobe, and now

I resent your clothes

Because they know what every inch of your skin feels like

And get to wrap themselves around you

Again and again and again.

Jealousy unveiled

The contents of your kitchen,

And now I’m intolerant

Of everything you put in your mouth

Because nothing – and no one – should

Pass your lips

But me.

She’s a poisonous friend, Jealousy,

Who’s injected her venom

Into my bloodstream,

And has left me with nothing but

Scars imprinted on my heart for everyone to see –

Like a necklace with your name on it.