Serpentine Stranger Poem by Laura Russell

Slower than war
you reach into me
with serpentine arms
Coiling in and out
teasing me with the flickering of your tounge
and sweet-poison bites.

Your scent sticks to me
like the thorns of white roses
Scratching away the surface
to reveal the inner secrets
to reveal the soul behind the eyes.

Taste my sticky disease
(you'll love it)
Crawl inside the bones and arteries
you will not drown
but you will never leave.

A piece of me will always be
inside your nightmares or dreams
Tearing away your ability to breathe
Licking the wounds you keep hidden from blind eyes.

Tell me your secrets
Honesty is an art
I'll tell you mine
I'll carve them in your heart.


20-3-05