Same serpent
New skin
She hisses
A fantasy
As she slithers in

My vulnerability
A weakness
An opportunity to
Sell a dream
The bitter
Sheathed in sweetness

I swallowed the lie
And it tasted delicious
Like fresh mint
Crushed
Into a summer mojito
Cool and crisp
Now where do we go?

How about
Lake houses
And concerts
Front porches
And desserts

Then you can

Take me to the beach
Choke me in sand
Call me a king
While twisting me into
A pawn whose silver
You leach

No longer a friend
But a means to an
End

You held my grief
In the palm
Of your hand
Then squeezed it
Like a lime
What an unholy
Crime

The scales have tipped
Your ruse has been revealed
The well is poisoned
Your wine congealed

You are nothing
But a chapter
In my story
Watch as I
Flame your pages
In resplendent
Glory

And
Dermot sang of
A raven and a dove
But in your version
Of a kingdom
Both don’t fly free

Remember me,
Oh viper
The blackbird
With a cigarette lighter
Because
You’ve been flinted
Deleted
And I’m newly
Minted

Recoil from my shine
As the truth
Burns your eyes
I bid you goodnight
And I bid you goodbye

My memory of you
Like your ego
Will wither and fade
Along with
The skin you’ve shed
In the lonely bed
You’ve made