Digital Hauntings

First, a match, a spark of light,

Conversation flows throughout the night.

Plans are made, a hopeful start,

Then silence falls and breaks your heart.

No word, no cause, no last goodbye,

Just you alone, to wonder why.

You’ve been Ghosted, left on read,

A living person, treated like the dead.

Then comes the one who strings along,

With messages that aren't too strong.

A "Hi" a week, a "Haha" here,

Just enough to keep you near.

They Breadcrumb hope, a tiny trail,

A guarantee you will not sail

Away from them, you'll wait and see,

For what they never mean to be.

The cycle spins, a dizzying game,

Where no two players are the same.

You learn the rules, you guard your heart,

You play your own strategic part.

But soon the screen begins to blur,

A low, incessant, draining whir.

This isn't fun, it's just a test,

A constant, low-grade, aching stress.

This is the Burnout, hollow, deep,

A silent promise not to keep.

The hope is gone, the joy is through,

You're just too tired to start anew.

You close the app and feel the quiet,

And mourn the end of your love diet

A feast of choice that left you thin,

Too weary to let real love in.