It occurs to me, quoth my friend as her diamond sword
slashes a slime to its goopy & eldritch mooing death
& shatters a skeleton like a twig beneath her forest footfall, it occurs to me
that I love combat here because there is no way
to slay the demons who haunt me in real life: The grade five kid
who lurks enhoodied at the end of my block, whispering
threats & insults on the way home, or the clockless boredom of class,
the lights out at 9 pm when seriously mom I am just getting started
on building this floating castle, seriously mom!! seriously dad!! wtf!!
She spun like an angry tornado, or perhaps a ballerina? I'm
still figuring that one out. But any way she spun
& her diamond sword flashed death in all directions until
the mine was empty of all threats. We unlocked the hidden door
in the floor, & she thrust a torch to show me the plunging darkness
beneath. Wow, I said -- that's deep.
