They live in the woods, tucked away in flowers 
With petals as soft as a child’s laughter  
Their wings glimmer like water droplets 
reflecting and refracting the sun’s rays 
 
 
Their faces, all peculiarly beautiful 
Looking as though they were carved by an artist  
who took careful consideration with every stroke 
Their cheeks are flushed with a rosy-red  
Along with the tips of their noses  
 
 
They collect shiny things,  
Lost coins and broken glass 
Along with broken jewelry and snapped pearl necklaces 
They find beauty in despair  
And treasure in wreckage 
 
 
Their laughter sounds like bells 
Swaying in a gentle wind  
And they ravish a bowl of cream  
Or a drop of honey   
Like a sweetness not found in this world 

.......................................................................... 
 
 
 
Deep beneath the salty sea 
Where humans choke on burning water 
Lurks the women of the dark 
They thrive on violent storms  
That drag ships down into the ocean’s heart 
 
 
They are different than the ones that dwell in the light 
Their scales shine with the luster of a black pearl 
And their skin is a cold, grey 
With no light at the bottom, their eyes have become black  
 
 
 
Their teeth are as sharp as a shark’s  
And their nails have become claws 
The gills on their necks have turned a deep purple 
And the sunlight has no appeal to them 
 
 
They collect phosphorescent jellyfish 
And play among the wreckage of old ships 
They befriend the monsters of the deep 
Who feel loneliness as sharp as a knife 
.....................................................................................
 
 
They are drawn out into the night 
By a hunger for something warm  
and red 
It’s a lust so strong it could drive one mad 
 
We cannot blame them  
For they are cold, and empty 
Time has carved out their emotions  
And death has evaded all but them 
 
They carry within them a deep sadness 
So complete 
For when they drink from our veins 
For once they are warm  
And full