Destination

Photo by Marcelo Chagas

There is this door floating between the tall trees,

And it tells me that I have reached my destination.

They used to tell me that truth sets people free,

But I would choose a fairytale without hesitation.

All I knew was how to keep chasing rotten dreams,

So, when they blew up the path, I lost my balance.

When the fabric of my life came apart at the seams,

They assigned me sharp teeth and killer talons.

I was their prey, but they called me the beast.

If I played the part, they stripped me of humanity.

I escaped their flames, but my pride was deceased,

And I almost believed in my own depravity.

Yet, here is the door, and it floats between trees,

And I feel every creature in the forest behind me.

If I open it, will I drown my past in stormy sea?

Will my anger die, or will it follow me blindly?

-Jackie

In My Footsteps

Photo by Tatiane Herder

I keep my pace steady as leaves rustle behind me.

Birds snap their wings and die right on cue.

Small branches break as it is coming to find me.

Air freezes and paints my dry lips deep blue.

There is a breath on my neck that smells like sewage.

Hot saliva drips on my shoulders and it burns.

I feel my feet landing in puddles of fluids,

And I smile with my teeth as my stomach turns.

The monster follows in my footsteps for hours,

But I just keep walking like I have no fear.

One quick look and I will lose all of my power.

It will swallow me alive with nobody to hear.

-Jackie

On The Other Side

Photo by Andi Alexander

Sharp wind awakes me from a gut-wrenching nightmare,

And I find myself lost in an unearthly forest.

Tall trees lean over my head, ready to grab me.

I hear charcoal shadows singing my favorite chorus.

The crowds that once craved my blood like a trophy,

They barely even make me frightened anymore.

Pastel fumes spew from the pockets I used for anger,

And I do not remember why I once craved gore.

I know that my soul would seem bare to a stranger.

My wild hair and wide eyes would make a beast run.

But the weight that pushed me down towards the flames,

It now spins around my head, wanting to see the sun.

My bruised feet keep taking me further and further,

And I dream about the creatures I will meet in this place.

The sharp wind pushes me, it pulls me forward.

I know someone is behind me, but I cannot see the face.

-Jackie

First Love/Nightmare

Photo by George Shervashidze

Cherish me with cherry red lips

And worship me like a worthy opponent.

See me through blue tears and rips,

And cover me in clovers before we lose this moment.

Hide me with pride and malice.

Sink in your teeth to drink me like champagne.

Light a spark in this dark palace

And show me how to talk through the pain.

Slide the pin right under my skin,

Then pretend like the truth is not bending.

Sip me slowly, just like a holy sin.

Reassure me that this is not the ending.

Float above my throat at midnights,

Pulling out my vocal cords one by one.

Sprinkle smoke in the clearest twilights

And tell me that my sweet tongue is a gun.

Go and heal my meanest demons.

Let the magazines know and make a scene.

Push me down the stairs as a treatment,

Turn my soul into a figurine.

-Jackie

Exiled

Photo by Joyce Dias

Arrows buzz by my earlobes like hungry bees

As some hypnotized crowds chase me down the road.

The smell of my terror makes their knees weak,

And their anger feels like some cyphered code.

I am the beast they exiled from their forests.

I am the beast they summoned when they were bored.

My victims might haunt me for being honest,

But these crowds made me feel loved and adored.

Now they chase me down paths good people avoid,

And their sizzling hot words spill on me like ink.

No amount of bloodshed will fill their black voids.

Still – they try to wash me down the kitchen sink.

As I hear them tiring and running out of breath,

A dark red border appears in the distance.

Once I cross that curved line, I will lose this bet.

Will they cheer as my memory slips from existence?

-Jackie

Run Witch Run

Photo by Lucas Pezeta

The midnight arrived at my door like a treacherous whisper. 

I had been accused, but my judgement would always stay sealed. 

Disdainful warnings shot through the wood and the crystals,

And I knew they had sworn to never offer me a deal.

They held pulsating purple lighters in their twitching hands,

Swaying gently as their gilded rage built in vacant chests.

They wanted to slay me again to finally cleanse these holy lands,

And bleed me dry until their dusty town became blessed.

I hated most faces in the roaring crowd, but I knew hers,

With its stainless steel look of pure pride and undying conviction. 

With each cursed step she took, she built me a newer hearse. 

“Run, witch, run,” she shrieked, fulfilling the silent prediction. 

-Jackie

The Dream

Photo by imustbedead

Odd dreams sneak up on my subconscious when I rest,

And I shoo them away before something gets confessed.

But last night I dreamt about this old church burning.

Every screw in my stomach was twisting and turning.

There were people around it with enchanted gazes.

I knew I could find the arsonist in this place.

There was no wind, only the breaths of these watchers,

And they whispered to the flame:

“You should catch her.”

My body ached from the pure heat of that fire,

My heart ached from the pure hate they desired.

When I awoke, my skull was leaking grey brain fluid.

It was no dream at all, they were planning to do it.

-Jackie

Just A Taste

Photo by cottonbro

I got him cornered,

I got him right where I needed him.

He begged for some mercy,

But I told him this was not a sin.

Apologies, apologies…

These words always arrive too late.

You need not worry,

Vengeance will clean the dirty slate.

I got him anxious,

Trapped in between these walls.

I bet he believes me now,

He hears how they can all talk.

If you miss the warnings,

You have to face the consequences.

He knew what he did

When he ran me dry of second chances.

I crave just a taste.

So what if it breaks his bones?

There was no one to believe me.

He must suffer all alone.

-Jackie

Teeth In My Ribcage

Photo by Ruslan Rozanov

Hopelessness looms over me like a dark cloud,

And the raindrops keep washing away my humanity.

There is nothing people will remember me for,

So, I sit quietly and do not challenge gravity.

My skin is prickly and unpleasant to touch.

My eyes were once gates, but now they dig holes.

I peel off the layers of my flesh one by one,

Hoping judgements and rumors will swallow me whole.

The papers claim I let my victims bleed out,

Then lift them with my skeletal frame until they scream.

Nosy tongues say that I carry teeth in my ribcage,

It ensures that my heart stays hungry and lean.

Silence begs me to ask questions I should not know,

And I feel a wave of guilt building right in front of me.

God, I wish I never showed them that I can bite.

I am the monster they built, and I am their deity.

-Jackie

Guilty

Photo by Thirdman

I bend my neck while looking in the dusty mirror,

Trying to recall where they sank in their teeth.

The silence in my room is muffling my howls,

And my skin is a portal with nothing underneath.

I have treated these bruises a dozen times,

But the recipe suddenly slips my loud thoughts.

Did they drain me below the point of no return?

Will the next sip break me down to parts?

I hear them all scratching at the metal door,

Begging for one more taste of the forbidden.

The scars on my back ache in a horrid rhythm.

Do I fight or do I leave my soul bedridden?

I feel veins popping as the red rage spreads,

And suddenly there is no right or wrong.

Maybe I should bite back until nothing matters,

Maybe I was the beast all along.

-Jackie