Villanelle

She spoke of ghosts when I was young
Of heartbeats swallowed by the walls
Yet I could smell the devil’s tongue

My eyelids fluttered as she sung
My Playboy mommy, us her dolls
Songs of ghosts when I was young
 

Us little girls once prayed, once clung
To her long legs to break our falls
Yet I could smell the devil’s tongue
 

One breath of her collapsed my lungs
Nightmares born from her shrill calls
One ghost alive when I was young
 

From my dear mother’s mouth, she hung
Those pretty dripping words for brawls
The sting, the smell of devil’s tongue
 

With steadied vengeance I once flung
blood from my lips to make her small
I learned of ghosts when I was young
I learned to steal the devil’s tongue