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