i fell in love with the word
and it became god to me
so i wrote alter after alter
and burned my heart into coals
on their polished white surfaces
again and again and again
as an eternal offering
that i might be given power
to change the world

but it turns out
words don’t do anything
in the hands of a usurper
who sought to steal their power
instead of channeling it
and me caught now
having learned this lesson late
without anymore hearts
and cold ashes littering my chest