WHEN I WAS… When I was a girl made of glass I could not meet my eye in the mirror Shrouded in a cloak of insecurity I sat in my cave and sharpened my edges Jagged, scarring those who held me Working my claws into every oozing wound The lovers I took only wanted to see themselves in me And so they polished and polished Finding only a glimmer of the love they sought While I, bored of being manhandled, decided to dull my light When I was the stone wench I lived in tower ruins Far above a frosted skyline In isolation I trusted Rare suitors trekked for days Just to see the ancient witch They brought with them enchanted melodies Wildflowers and fizzing tonics I accepted kindly and then beg their leave There were no precious gems to mine here Only the erosion of a woman Too young to retire from love Too tired to feign affection From my spire above the mountains I watched civilizations rise and collapse And buried myself in earth Mouth full of worms and mineral When I was a fault line I was disquiet tension Tremors built from my angst
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