CANNIBALISE THE CORRUPTION, I GUESS
Ok? Everyone’s dying.
You’re not special. You’ve a
Tree in your stomach,
Splitting the roof of your mouth,
Leaves curled around teeth, and your skull
Cracking like an ancient castle?
Nothing I haven’t seen before.
Had three people in this week alone with flowers
For eyes. At least you have eyes, yeah?
Count your blessings. So you have twigs
Piercing your tongue, can’t talk,
Tree trunks splintering bone, fractured skeleton.
And your brain, like if a pinned insect
Were heavy, wet, and pulsing? Listen kid,
That’s the way things are
Sometimes. Swallow the leaves
And move on.
Valentine Jones is a 17 year old Irish writer from Limerick. Valentine has been published by Paper Lanterns twice, the second time winning the senior category of their annual short story competition with their story Léaspáin.