every city has a helen

The hostile take over
Of my brain
Is exactly
As I imbue it to be,
Embossed in rubies cut from blood,
And the streets
That still seem to run red
With yours,
Circulating through my body
As though you never left.
You linger here
In violent ashes
Of this city you've burned
Blinding those
To the beauty
And freedom that lay
Beyond its limits.
Its a dark place
Where our hopes
And promises
Go to die.
You broke this,
Robbed the citizens
Of the shelter
That your presence provided,
Your smile that once burned with
Brightness
Extended itself to the furies
And scorned all those it touched.
Your take over was hostile.
Your departure disguised in grace.
Your memory fails to fade,
And I fear that perhaps
I'm left to be contained
In the history
Of your darkness.