Where the Butterflies Bleed
written by: Cindy Noelene
He said he was sorry;
He said he had to!
But then, something inside me split in a way
no one could see.
Because when someone you love
leaves without a reason
you can fight for,
you start fighting yourself instead.
I have butterflies inked into my skin,
symbols of survival;
of breaking open
and becoming something softer…
But tonight they feel pinned!
Wings open.
but I have nowhere to go.
“I had to,” he said,
He had to hurt me?
like loving me
was a weight he could not carry;
like I was something that needed escaping.
My heart;
Oh my God, my heart…
It did not shatter loudly.
It just started bleeding softly
into all the places
I worked so hard to heal.
Because when someone walks away
and calls it necessary,
you begin to wonder
if you were the mistake!
If you were too damaged;
Too intense;
Too fragile;
Too much;
Or even…not enough!
And the cruelest part is
he sounded kind.
He sounded regretful.
He watched me cry, shook his head under his helmet and rode away;
Waving me goodbye.
Which makes it harder
to hate him.
So I sit here,
a butterfly with trembling wings,
covered in proof I have survived before,
and still asking myself
why loving me
was something he had to leave.
- Where the Butterflies Bleed - June 6, 2026
- Comic Warehouse Confidential Issue #1 - February 13, 2026
- Innocuous Cries - August 2, 2025
