Vivisection - Ameythist Moreland

Eyes in the dark
like pinpricks of
sputtering stars
in a distant sky.
Yet I feel them
on me, inquisitive
hungering for more.
 
I open myself, crack,
split my ribcage.
Free the battered beast
that beats its wings
against my bones,
and take what is
left inside.
 
I fear the disappointment
when you find me
hollowed.
Everything picked clean
by the beaks of
so many vultures.
 
The fate of givers,
of people-pleasers,
of the desperate for
affirmation.
Validation.
 
Take of me what you will.
 
The shock that ripples
as pop, crack, split
your tender marrow
exposed.
My surprise when you
reach a gentle hand
within yourself to offer
me the parts to heal.
 
Salt streaks my face as
you fill me, sharing
your essence so I may
rediscover my own.