The taste of blood

Is like falling into a pit of metal spikes, or

Finding a treasure chest after all the treasure's been

Found, or accidentally biting your nails too far so that

They bleed, but it doesn't hurt.

The taste is

mesmerizing, titillating, lilting, and

Sweet, like an apple dipped in caramel

When you have a cavity, or like a balloon animal

After a break-up.

The taste is what keeps me

Cutting my mouth from the

Inside out. Because as long as

I can taste this, as much as I despise it,

I realize I can't live without it.