in her own way, there was nothing
she didn’t fear, but most of all was
the woods in a cloak of black that gave
her bloody terrors and thrills of acidic
and unholy quakes.

“of all the ugly names the gods have
given us…” with the world spinning on it’s
hinges she choked on the holy words
and spit them out like black-burning
poison rotting on her tongue.

the woods closed and made secret love
to her as she trembled. a day ago, hills
had screamed their piety at her from across
a dusty road and billowing robes of godly
white had made themselves a home for her.
now the bracken gurgled on her sweat
and baleful birds laughed toxically from
cavernous boughs.

“I prayed for hope and the gods have only
laughed at me!” a shrill voice that caterwauled
across the wood and in response, she thought
she might have heard the black, vile voices of
sin and egregious anger answer back.

“blood, milk, bones; I’ll eat your skin
and leave a carcass for the birds to stuff themselves!”

crying and twisting, curled up tight,
a warped and dangerous pose for the enemy to strike –
she felt tears of acid and black sin fall
on her throat, the haughty wind only
scoffed and tore at her.

roiling water fell fast from above,
vicious, ugly wind whipped the sky into a black froth,
and after hours of cowering to the earth,
the storm passed and she was able
to make her way home again.