Breadcrumb Trail
The first crumb was that kiss
Not any of the many spell-induced kisses
The almost kiss, wrongly taken
Or the actual kisses, heavily denied
It was the small kiss – simple and innocent
Earned, through true sacrifice
The second was the welcome back into your home
Third came the great privilege of protecting the Niblet
Even if I damn near mucked it up
I thought that was the end, then
I stopped craving crumbs, when all the world went to hell
I would have given all I already had, just to have you back in it
Fourth was when you came back
The fact that you existed at all
And that I was even allowed to exist near you
That look
Your trust
Your body
I lost count, soon enough
Should have been more careful, I know that now
But what I did know, even then, was that
– no matter how many crumbs I'd tasted –
I'd never truly have you
Not all of you
Because I was missing a piece too, see?
My gooey center was cold, and rock hard
You almost broke your teeth when you bit into it
I needed to fix it
Needed to let the light back in
And then, after, all I felt was you
Your light was bathing me
And I was so wonderfully, mercifully lost
You were dough – had been stretched and kneaded so much
By too many rough hands
I felt you settle, that night I was just allowed to hold on
And the heat of our shared fire, at the battle, baked you. Purified me
Made you ready
Made me worthy
The night that followed, what bliss it was to enjoy together
The path through the forest
That rocky road, so dark in parts
Lead to a gingerbread house
The home where we now live