pretending

The dark pointing water erodes my lie.
glances wrap around my forearms
restricting black blood, coagulating the truth.

Our own Muncaster Castle
screams echo through Ravenglass
The Esk taunting and rising
my careful divergence

With a scarlet cape
and droves of mice and scorpions
I take my poison and wade to the other side.

The creatures drowning, an easy agony
to watch them cease to breathe
clinging and stinging, my flesh peeled
steeping in jasmine and release.

The chosen watch seated
with three thousand infected eyes
granting no indulgence
puppeteers pleasing greasy strings

I've countered those weights
sliced, studied and dissected,
bled of my diamonds and youth
scars smoothed by abrasion

I will miss the velvet pillow
when the rocks hold my head
but battered bones will relinquish
the death in pretending to be free.