she forgot she
was at war
& just how much
was at stake
she swallowed the
bullet
but failed to find
just how easy
the shell was to
break

gunpowder turned
corrosive
eating through her
armored skin
--
the world turned
sanctimonious
& she became the
sin

but goddess is as
goddess does
with a promise she
takes to the
grave

"the torches they light
underneath
my feet
shall never burn
enough
to entice me to
cave."