She took the blame of me

and made it her own

twisted all our words into knots

that they might strangle hope and trust

with that serpent mind, outside of inside

that dragged around all the beauty

in a cloth sack

pulling us back, and I

fought it but she bit my tongue out

strangled me with it

so that all the sadness would float away

to an island of dreams,

and I marooned.

But those eyes!  were no more

than a ship of escape capsized.