by nature i am a monstrous thing
twisted, bent, and torn
an untamed wilderness of thorn and vine
grows where my humanity should be
i do not have a soul:
faeries are born without them

i carry the reminder of my monstrousness
like an itch under my skin:
whispered in the back of my mind
curled beneath my breastbone,
as comfortable as breathing
or shifting within my shoulders
warping wrongness into my shape

you, too, i carry inside me
your voice in the base of my skull
warmth wrapped around my throat
like choking hands seeking a pulse
you flow through my veins like wildfire
and fill my lungs with smoke
my heart beats you; i breathe you in
heady and sweeter than air

i am overflowing with you
you are bursting from my fingertips
you run down my body like blood
pooling heat into my belly
and shuddering through my bones
you have left your marks on me
and my hands ache for want of claws

i do not fear the dark
and i fear your darkness even less
i will walk your dreams and join the monsters
dig my nails into your heart and carve myself a home
if i lose myself in you, know i am not lost:
i have merely taken an unfamiliar path

plant your twisted thoughts by mine
bury your teeth in my skin
and let me drag you under

we are kelpies in the deep
consuming each other whole