Heretic

when branded
the other woman you give up
your rights to compassion. It is assumed

you are the collector of
magical spells. You

supposedly vamp
the night. In your bed

you carry home stars. A
split reality, for sure, shaped
by the histories of

Mata Hari, Cleopatra. Historical
fiction, heretical
women. No matter that

the tube of red lipstick has
sat, unopened, in your medicine cabinet
for over a year. It is

smeared on your face
all the same.