she mused in deliberation while i
with fumbling, deft fingers picked
out elusive octaves.
my ear had been trained long before,
and though i'd ruined my vocal chords
due to many a cigarette and clove,

i still had what it took.

and suddenly, while she was breathing,
i caught the interlude, and
there she was, spiraling.

she whisked me away
with the tone and tempo,
those notes that curled and
made my blood run cold.

she held me while i trembled,
feeling the electricity accentuate my nerves.
they were gutting me, one by one,
they, with their scalpels and arsenic.

but she sang while she burned,
there, atop my precipice,
leaving me to dwindle,
dwindle down,
down,
like wax.

08/08/2004

Author's Note: oh, the wonderful alaina schneider is the vixen who inspired this piece. written for rita, in a round about way.

Posted on 08/08/2004
Copyright © 2024 Rachelle Howe