“The Cut That Always Bleeds”

By Bilal Salman Ahmad

You are the cut that always bleeds,

the wound I press, yet never treat.

And though the sting brings me to my knees,

I whisper, don’t stop, for you are the ache I need.

You are the air I drag through broken lungs,

the song I hum though it burns my tongue.

Without you, silence swallows me whole—

with you, even pain feels like control.

I need you more than I need myself,

more than books that gather dust on shelves.

More than the sun needs the sky at dawn,

more than rivers need somewhere to run.

I need you like the stars need night,

like shadows cling to fading light.

Even when it kills me, still I stay,

for life without you is no life anyway.

I could be your secret, your tether, your chain,

the leash you tug when you call my name.

Every other week, or every other hour,

I’ll bend, I’ll break, I’ll surrender my power.

I could be anything your heart requires,

the match, the flame, the smoke, the fire.

A whisper in darkness, a steady hand,

your makeshift shelter, your promised land.

Just don’t leave.

That’s all I ask—

strip me down, unmask my mask.

Take what you want, take all you see,

but don’t erase what’s left of me.

I’ll hold your hurt, I’ll share your tears,

I’ll dance with shadows, I’ll silence fears.

I’ll be the song you don’t admit you love,

the echo you chase, the prayer above.

For even as the cut still bleeds,

my love runs deeper than my needs.

It’s messy, raw, imperfect, true—

I’d bleed forever, if it means I bleed for you.

By Bilal Salman Ahmad