As I watch myself suffocate

under a ripple of time 

through a

monochromatic kaleidoscope 

while the monotonous shrill of a

dissonant harpsichord drones and 

drills itself into 

my skull

I can taste the golden wax 

dripping from my arms 

and I want to scorch the pale skin underneath

these feathers you’ve fastened to my body

and douse the flames in a chlorinated swirl

because I will never be your blue ribbon pig

your prototype

your prosthetic, your flying machine

or the protagonist in this fairytale you’ve

so vicariously crafted

And when I pound against the ocean floor

at least I know there is a bottom

so I will not have to stand on your 

crooked shoulders to balance,

or to see over the rim of this fishbowl

Let that send me home

and anchor you down 

where the tridents and tides

won’t let you alchemize my soul

into something malleable enough

to swallow 

because I will forever be 

bioluminescent