Split at the nose I begin to slide
My rough, tight skin away from my body
Escape the same person, same cast
But under flesh labeled as my own,
As the old encasement is no more mine than
The girl who told me she loved me
The summer before senior year
And slid her tongue
Down another boys’ throat

Morning hours spent curled away
At night, I prowl
Pour me a drink, pack a bowl
Taste the forbidden fruit and
Surrender yourself to me
Let me show you the world and
Never look back, for
Pain is a small price to pay
For feeling welcome in your body

Cold-blooded killer, wait in the shadows
          Dip your tongue in the fountain of youth
                    I want to see you alive, truly thrive
                              With no hands or feet, I am grounded
                    My skin sits snugly around my bones
          Like a cashmere sweater
A serpent, juxtaposing
                              The wiry branch
                                                  Of an apple tree