lost bottles and land mines

can you separate 
the artist from the art
the same way I untangle 
the inspiration from my heart 

these little lines of poetry
never felt like they belonged to me
messages in lost bottles
that i found at sea 
i always try to find a meaning
in the things that happen to me

so i can use my gift
to articulate the pain
tell you exactly how it hurts
why and when it happened first

still i tread carefully
in my head
walk a straight line in my thoughts
a wrong step and i find
land mines
ready to ruin an entire world
if i should ever stray from the path

i never wanted
the betrayal to define me
but here i am
begging to be betrayed
repeating mistakes
just to try
and change the ending ending
again and again and again