Reverie X
i. you unhinged your jaw like a snake
and I climbed in
creeping past your molars
to slide into you, and out, past you
into night
ii. we were sitting in the park, coiled
iii. around each other,
laughing at frantic mice.
though we took no notice,
they watched from beneath our tails
as you spoke in gilded tones
iv. you forgot
and fell asleep at my house,
sunning yourself like always:
until you frightened the family;
my mother’s worst nightmare
v. after you molted,
you were never quite the same,
and your skin felt foreign to
my touch