She held her breath as she ripped away from him,
The way she did when removing the band aid that covered an open cut—

He promised to stick around,
At least until she was healed,
But his adhesive against her heart,
Was not powerful enough.

For sometime, he did protect her,
Under his guarding shield,
But the damage was too much,
For his generic brand.

Open and exposed again,
Her wound never did close,
But it seems that is for the best,
She sees past a man’s label now—

Though a protector seemed absent,
It was not the latex she ever needed,
But rather the man that dared to kiss her,
And every mark on her paper skin.