She Swallowed the Spider to Catch the Fly

A thousand
contagious lies
wriggle like maggots
inside my mouth
waiting to grow wings.
waiting to be transformed
by the first dirty syllable
into frenzied iridescent flight.
greedy to close the space
between my lips and your ear.

instead, I shrug, swallow and
feel a universe of
unspoken sounds
crawl down my throat
burrowing through soft tissue
preparing to live
or die
in some dark bloody crevice.

“I am not afraid”
your damp breath offers
the small throbbing vein in my neck
but collusion
has taken up residence
behind your voice.
clinging desperately to your lower lashes
your words fall short of flight
spill and
collect.
a writhing
impossible
ocean
between us.