all night i stretched my limbs across his, altars of blood, crescents on the dark forest ground, whispering with all my skin and bone. "i see the monster in you" dear gods, i sucked at its claws, nipped its silvery horns. i saw the monster in him. i had it in my mouth. when the twilight awoke the soft sweat on his chest, i knew he soon would chase me away. the armour in his eyes lifting when i would be gone, weeping in false churches and he would ask himself "aren't you afraid of my darkness?"

i wouldn't be there to caress his brow
to tell him "no"
to whisper "you haven't seen mine yet."