i am plucking emeralds from my diadem and plopping them in briny ocean swells
no
i press myself against the dragon’s mouth and warm my naked trembling flesh
no
i know i said no
yes
and so there would have been only one but i was guided by a collar of fist and then i had to erase it with familiar kisses and now i’m ripping cotton from my panties to plug my ears because the words are shrieking through the tiled halls and i am a little girl again
blanching my blushes
swallowing sawdust
refusing to open my mouth, even to breathe





