The Medusa

I breathe fire. I'll turn you to stone with my stare, And I'll collect you like I've collected the others. Line you up among the rest Like a toy soldier just To knock you down, Repeat. My thoughts are loud, My brain is aflame. I can't speak without regurgitating, I can't breathe without first feeling The palpitations of my weak heart. I am a prisoner inside a skin I do not Recognize. Here are my eyes, blue and cloudy And reddened with broken vessels. Here are my hands, knuckles bruised, Cuticles cracked and dry. Here is my hair, balding, Pulled out. And there is someone in the mirror, Someone I used to know.