the letters

king crimson'dan;

with quill and silver knife
she carved a poison pen
wrote to her lover's wife:
"your husband's seed has fed my flesh".

as if a leper's face
that tainted letter graced
the wife with choke-stone throat
ran to the day with tear-blind eyes.

impaled on nails of ice
and raked with emerald fire
the wife with soul of snow
with steady hands begins to write:

"i'm still, i need no life
to serve on boys and men
what's mine was yours is dead
i take my leave of mortal flesh"