there is a serpent inside me,
curling uneasily at the mention of his name.
the sight of his face.
venom drips from its lips,
sends tingles through my limbs like electric steel,
weighing down my arms.
i feel trapped, gasping for air.
ariel without her tail.
ursula, powerless.
if i could cut out my heart, i would.
i would use a knife made from all the times I've said "I love you", rusted over with the burdens of distance.
the serpent would slither from the gaping hole in my chest like ink seeping from the pages of wet paper.
and I would stitch up the wound with iron thread, so as to guard myself against fairies.
and him? they say.
what about him?
his heart will shatter.
his tears will freeze and harden into icicles
and he will impale himself.
a third option?
an easy way out?
