To My Beloved

By Danielle Hazart

She is the only one in this world

to know me in my entirety.

The dedication of my sole scholar

in this lonely school of thought;

more than a mentee,

more than an apprentice,

my fated confidant;

She is my proof of true love.

Every singeing sorrow of mine

brands her with tireless loyalty.

She calms my trembling hands,

and bares her teeth at every offender.

She reminds me I, too, can feel safe.

I’ve memorized every tender wipe

of tears I could hold no longer;

every digested scream

I could not bear to swallow;

If I lost all my senses but one,

I’d know her from touch alone.

She is the essence of my soul,

the very mirror of my mind.

She is as pious as she is vengeful;

and she is as vengeful as she is tender.

By Danielle Hazart