The Cost of Loss

The Cost of Loss

The cost of loss 
each time
is a little pound of flesh
messy yes
but cannot be helped
because it is a price paid forward.
Each tear you shed
a shred of glass
that makes a trench 
for the blood you sweat.
With each small departure
a little more of you goes.
They say it be better to have loved and lost
but what price must you pay.
If that love should go
you are bound to lose your way.
And if you face constant loss 
what is the better then?
pretty words are easy to write
until you are challenged by them.
Should I build myself an island
and build a fortress for my heart?
Should I abandon all hope
to catch the love dart?
If I fortify myself good enough
can I save myself from harm
from loss?
When I think of how it eats at me
how each one grieves me
I cannot catch a breath.
Yet there I go 
letting down my defenses
So loss can breach my walls.