Fairy Tale, Corrupted

Shuddering shallow breaths swelled an empty chest,

body curled up on the nest that would soon become a tomb.
I prepared myself for the worst: the boyish grin that did its best,
but I was determined to hold my own against him,
determined to be the stronger of the two.

One by one the old wooden stairs croaked out

in their splintery voices "Here he comes."
My stomach ached, the breath stuck in my throat,
then it was done. He was there.
I should've stayed determined, should've kept
saying no, but that evil little voice in my head
kept telling me what I didn't want to hear.
I could not deny him. I loved him more than ever.

My conscience screamed, drowned out by

my own guttural noises, issuing forth from
the animal buried deep inside me,
finally being set free. My conscience
tried to justify it; reached out to him
for reassurance, but there was none.
Just open air where my heart had been.
The Amazon woman I'd wanted to be
laid curled up, bleeding in a ball
in the corner, weeping
because she hadn't been strong enough.