Bleeding Heart

I whispered to her low,
A vow to ease her pain,
But behind those honeyed words,
Lurked a harsh, jagged truth.
I didn't bring her calming peace,
Just a warning, stark and raw.
For I bear a weighty ghost,
Of bygone, searing hurt,
Whose shadow stretches long and far,
Even in the day's brightest light.
The woe within me ferments,
A cancer that slowly grows,
Devouring my very essence,
Consuming love's warm glow.
I told her the truth, yes I did,
For I have learned the hard way,
There is no cure for a heart that bleeds,
No balm to wipe the tears away.