Opening the Door

I fall asleep and find a door. I open that door and John is there Telling me about Heart and appearing slightly ragged. I feel afraid. Once, I opened the door and there was the man with the beard Who had been a snarling, stinking wolverine Just moments before- stalking me. Me and my sister terrified through the jungle Only to say “You have  a lot to learn from fear.” And once, I opened the door And...read more

Bestowing Her Grace

by Michele Rocha You’re lucky I’m so fucking evolved or you would be dead by now My well-mannered cultured well-bred Lady would not risk the scandal of having the town stumble over your rotted dismembered body in the garage freezer That’s what the dragon me wants To wreak havoc on your ordered world To undo that princely reflection To crumble your foundations And burn off your too cool Façade Down to its...read more

His Many Bloody Ends

by Michele Rocha How many revenge plots have I hatched Drew into life through tortured pain How many times have I hacked him to death Drowned him Pulled his heart out and stomped it Had him drawn and quartered Hung him from a dead tree And watched him twitch into oblivion Regretting that he ever hurt me I published all his dirty secrets Turned all his admirers into enemies Made him lose everything he respected Ran...read more

Anger

by Michele Rocha The smell of anger Hot and humid as the storm breaks moves and bellows through the atmosphere Blood is in this anger’s scent in the anger’s trail the wake of all the unexpressed rage in her in him in the life of the universe itself Mother and God and all the sons and daughters The rage fire jumps and starts new trails singeing those who dare too close The sound of anger low and pulsing it...read more

Talk About Love, She Said

Love, now, is Hearing myself compare myself to her Noticing myself put myself down and Stopping that. Standing up for myself. Love, now, is Deliberately choosing to do something different Than I have ever done before. Something other than Trying harder to do better. Something other than pushing. Pushing… Something other than Hiding my face in shame or Embarrassment. Something other than Disappearing or...read more