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Letters to the Bat

Identity

by Rebecca Lu Kiernan


It blackens my heart to tell you
The moment your wings shrivel up
And you become a man
Dropping down, stunned,
Into the home we share.

You stagger an hour
Accepting what you are,
My Darling, Dark, Disturbed and Hopeless Creature.

I must protect you from the light.
I keep my heart on Dim
Hoping my disenchantment
Does not get caught in my throat
When I say those words to you
Designed to numb your misery.

Unalterable Path,
Loveless Beast,
The blueblack shriek of night
Fits you like a custom made suit.

If I wished to hurt you
I would reveal
You chose this life.
You were not born to it.
But who else would you be?
Add up the hours, the days, the months,
The little deaths that went unmarked.

End it not for me.


Copyright © 2011 by Rebecca Lu Kiernan


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