False Friend

Friend,
You coax me onto high beams
Over a bridge that ends in mist
Can you not see
The shaking of my feet?
I climb and fall
Catch myself on elbows and toes
Now, I can no longer
Even move.
Friend,
Do not be the hand
That pushes me
Off the edge.

This is the harsh truth, I’ll sugarcoat it none

Games of luck and games of chance
Flying a kite on a warm summer’s day
Are wonderful, stress-free pastimes
Those childhood modes of play.
But do not think to tinker with my heart
To take it apart and wait until I erect it again
Do not mistake an emphatic “NO” for a start
And resume those cruelest forms of trickery.
That façade that proclaims kindness is false
That smile only searches for a new toy to break
Like a self-deluded hero
You mistake a friend as a vampire to stake.
And though I loved you, and showed myself true
I love myself more, than to be treated so by you.

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