HALLOWEEN FEATURE: poetry #1

SWEATER: original poem and illustration

written and illustrated by Evangeline Keiser

i have been covered in bruises

lips tasting of blood 

metallic, like bullet shells

(touch me where it 

hurts the most

and make the pain

go away) 

i used to want to die 

cut the lotus from its stem

and light it on fire,

watch it drift away into

murky dusk 

disappear beneath the surface : 

but not anymore 

i called Death in;

he came up quietly, 

like an old friend 

slipped his arms around me 

sunk his teeth into my neck 

“i changed my mind” 

i hissed “#$&% off”

but i never learned to 

use bad words like that, 

so it sounded forced, 

artificial and 

Death didn’t believe me,

laughed softly against my ear 

“baby, i’m here to stay”

i bought him a sweater, 

took him out on Sundays 

to watch the leaves 

tremble against the sky. 

we would lay there in 

the grass and 

and share our secrets,

he told me not to 

be afraid 

that his cruel-ness was 

a rumor, false 

“But you’ll steal my 

favorite things, 

when I’m not looking”

i whimpered, curled 

against him, 

head buried in his chest 

“No, you don’t understand, 

i don’t want them, 

i don’t need them 

anymore than you do”

And then i fell asleep

 The hum of 

the cicadas woke me up,

shivering. 

blades of grass pressed into 

my skin, like delicate knives

frantic in a moment,

i reached for him,  

“Death, where are you?

why would you leave 

me now?”

i cried a little 

when i 

realized at last, 

he had gone away

leaving just a shadow 

in the sky

——

epilogue:

four days later 

i couldn’t find it,

couldn’t find my spoon, 

the one with the 

gnome engraved 

in the handle 

“Liar”

i whispered 

but inside, 

i was smiling 

________________

Evangeline Keiser

Creatively Just Being.

@sethsfaerie