The Tin Girl

If you stood before me,
I would not see you.
I gouged my eyes out long ago,
So I would not see my ugliness.

If your hand stroked my cheek,
I would not sense the caress.
I have lain in ice water
And my nerves are dead from it.

If you fed me honey,
It would taste foul on my tongue.
I have sucked on bitterness too long
And can no longer taste sweetness.

If you played me music,
I would not hear it.
I have driven needles into my ears
So I could not hear a litany of my faults.

If I loved you,
I could not speak the words.
I cut my tongue out
So I could speak no more lies.

I would tear out my beating heart,
But my chest has been empty for so long.