Poetry 

 

Flame breaks the darkness

as she thumbs the wheel and lifts the

lighter to the small onyx pipe held

at her mouth – her escape from the pain

she endures each day as sunrises and

sunsets blend together in a tapestry of

heartless hope that someday there will be

an answer to her endless search for

relief from the monster that grips her

never quite releasing her as it fades to

the background but always holding onto her

in a soft gnawing of dragon’s teeth

ripping her abdomen apart with a

steady attack at her bowels and

for the places deep in the bone she

draws deeper forcing a small red glow

of hated heat that flows with the smoke

leaving small dots of brightness where

tiny embers burn the back of her throat

on their way into her lungs where help

flows out through her blood spreading

its magic ability to at grant a moment to

not care about the dragon that lives

in her gut that sleeps sweetly and

only bothers her as claws snarl into a cramp

so severe she leans against the wall

and just breathes until the dragon

returns to a more soothing position

and she can continue down the hall

to find a place where she can try to

escape the raging within her that

never stops and always waits for

her to drop her guard or wait too long

to return the cold stone to her lips as

she thumbs the wheel and lifts the

flame that breaks the darkness.