Defiled Fertilizer
by Jessica King
I only wear that dress in my dreams:
red like lipstick stains and flushed skin,
modest like angels and virgins.
Your favorite Valentine gift
In my sleep, I suffocate with the memory
of your soft breath behind my ear;
a sweet embrace in the back of my car
that made the pain feel like a lie
How can a caress feel like a bruise
and “I love you” sing with sweet poison?
How did you turn affection into a masquerade,
and how did I learn to crave the agony?
If tears could purify rotten soil,
my heart would explode with sunflowers
finally turning away from your passion.
Maybe then I could’ve been saved
red like lipstick stains and flushed skin,
modest like angels and virgins.
Your favorite Valentine gift
In my sleep, I suffocate with the memory
of your soft breath behind my ear;
a sweet embrace in the back of my car
that made the pain feel like a lie
How can a caress feel like a bruise
and “I love you” sing with sweet poison?
How did you turn affection into a masquerade,
and how did I learn to crave the agony?
If tears could purify rotten soil,
my heart would explode with sunflowers
finally turning away from your passion.
Maybe then I could’ve been saved
Jessica King is a self-taught writer of ten years that strives to use her pen for literary contribution, artistic expression, and social justice. She's currently enrolled in a dual-bachelor program in creative writing and comparative world literature at Long Beach State University to receive formal training. When she has time, she occasionally posts her academic journey and poetic excerpts on Instagram (@thewhitedovepoet) and works on her poetry collections for future publication.