You Branded Me

I wish you had been more careful With those words that you flung out At me today I guess you didn’t realize That they were red hot Though spoken in “jest” And in a quiet voice They were red hot And they seared my heart Branding me with the word REJECTED ....Again. I thought branding was for cattle Ah....but humans are adept At branding others The smell of burning flesh The stench of pain The open wounds That harden with time Yet remain As a grotesque testament Of a heart that has been branded! I guess you didn’t realize That what you said Will go with me to the grave Because it scorched my heart My poor little heart that one day will tire of all the burns and will stop beating a scarred little mass Finally at rest From the red hot branding iron Of your tongue.