Careful for blue eyes, honey tongues,

the ones who bite sweetly into your soul

with sharp teeth and shallow lungs

leaving their venomous words in deep punctures

to bleed and leak your inspiration and imagination

Careful for ghosts and shadows

the ones who disappear and reappear

when the monsters come knocking at their door

and their mistakes become too heavy to burden

Careful for small laughs and sly smiles,

the ones hidden behind a sneering palm

tinkling with the sound of deceit and pretend

as their eyes undress the doubts and expose your insecurity

Careful for cold fingers and empty hands,

the ones who take but never give

the ones who pity but never suffer

hollowing your heart and bursting their own