little wolf by Elizabeth Sallow (18, United Kingdom)

childhood, innocence: i was young and you were hollow, a plastic heart
in a ghostly figure. you tasted sour, bitter, you tasted like blood.
i didn’t know that you were supposed to taste sweet: mint and pears
on a summer afternoon. i think i know better know; i’ve tasted
lemonade and cherry blossom smiles and now i know the truth.
now i know you were corrupted and you were desperate to corrupt me too.

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fairytale: princess and prince, knight and damsel. you fooled me,
proved me the jester, crowned in the circus. and then you
turned into the wolf: little red riding hood. you wanted to eat
me whole, devour me, you wanted to consume me. and
i know what you’ll say - ‘this isn’t fair’, but my little wolf,
i was there. you were hungry, you were desperate, you wanted my

heart. i wanted someone to love me and you wanted someone to
eat. it was perfect, i suppose: it was perfect, for you. possessed,
you took my brain next, numb me, dumb me. your appetite
was never sated, your desires never enough, so you told me
it was a pity, but you’d have to eat the rest. broken bones, you
left me skeletal. you call it my fault, i call it a disgrace.

my little wolf, you made a mistake. you left me to rot, white
dress bathed in blood: you never killed me. predator and prey,
you played with your food, but you left me alive. guess what?
i’m kicking, i’m breathing, i’m reincarnated: frankenstein’s monster,
your worst nightmare. wings sprouting in my glory: i’m growing
with thunder in my veins. turns out, little wolf, i was the queen all along.

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