I am dead because you are mine

The bittersweet danger of glances.

Looking once

looking twice

looking away

pretending not to care.

But looking back is enough

to cause your downfall

Too young

too eager

unexperimented, you hope your looks will go

unoticed

until one day

they don't.

You don't see me until the moment I think

I'm safe

that's when the danger comes in

and I'm dead because you're mine

Author's Note

The image used as an illustration for this poem comes for the series of photographs by Hisaji Hara, inspired by Balthus' paintings.