Let me tell you

why it is my love

that dragons guard the chest,

and why you face a battle

for the sins

you can’t confess.

You think you know the story but

be silent and I’ll tell

of how she built

this castle from the scorching

stones of hell.

You cannot see her clearly

for the mirrors that she holds,

not to look upon her visage,

but reflect upon

your soul.

I tell you only truth,

she gave out fistfuls

of her jewels,

freely and without

hesitation

to the charlatans

and fools.

The cowardly of heart

were blinded by her

mirrored eyes

as they sought their own

reflections and she listened

to their lies.

She saw the secrets

that they hid

beneath the shiny tin,

and moved on lost in sorrow

past the ghosts

she thought were men.

Be warned,

you’ll never enter

wearing armor, bearing sword,

for to give again unwisely

is a cost she won’t

afford.