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 itch 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 make it my home
    if i lose myself in you, i am not lost:
    i merely take an unknown path.

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

    we are kelpies in the deep
    consuming each other whole.