The woman lives
When the shadow of the moon
Falls ebony on the earth
And the trees of her forest
Are like burnt matchsticks
on scorched field
She lingers then -
like smoke in the dark,
Until we meet
In the appointed place,
Two black holes in the abyss of the cosmos and
She opens
A nightmare mouth,
words slithering forth
-the tip of the tongue the teeth and the lips-
dripping from her chin
in jet black ink
"Are you ready?" she screeches
A crow
A banshee in the graveyard
I cannot speak, cannot see anything but the ink that rolls like a wave from her lips
Dark and terrible
A blood moon
"I See you" she calls with open arms
A lover's embrace
An eternal escape
But the shadow is receding
Drawing you to the heart of the forest
And she reaches for you once more
Your hand twitches
The path is tangled
Brambles whip and thorns claw
and you both understand
Time is up
"Never again." She croaks splayed against a treetrunk "Never again"
The woman fades with the last of the shadow
She cannot return
And you are alone again
Hands shaking in the sun
Lips covered in ink