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.