i felt a shock
when my gaze
shifted into
your electric
green eyes
and my gut
dropped
umpteen
stories
as a devilish grin
spread across
your oval face

your words
slithered up
and down my
spine like a
thousand serpents
prepared to strike
at the first
sight of weakness
but i couldn’t keep it—
from stumbling
out into the limelight
it must have been
the highlight—
of your day because
i stuttered and
your words sank in
and dispensed
your venom into
my stream of innocence
and i just haven’t
been the same since