Classic art pieces done in the pandemic era.

Made post-pandemic, fresh and contemporary.

Fresh prose since 2023.

Amidst the forests of life itself,

Lies a maiden wary of her true self.

In every forest of life,

Lie snakes, cunning and cruel.

Sadistic, malignant, intellectual.

“The snakes come in different colors”, they say.

“Why?” you ask.

“Because they long to belong.”

What-ifs storm the maiden’s mind.

What if — she was the embodiment of a snake in the forest?

What if — she longed to belong so she came with a shade of white?

What if — she was always deep down, still a snake in the forest?

Guilt. Denial.

Beware.

For her venom pierces greatly into fragile skin.

She keeps herself hidden in the guise of human flesh.

Scared. Shaking.

She’s hidden.

Covering her tracks.

Justifying her actions.

She’s me.

A mere snake in the evergreen forest,

Calm and invisible.

Two-faced and beautiful.

I gasp as I dig my own grave by the weight of my sins.

They say I’d be better off dead,

Without a body.

Without a soul.

content warning // implied suicidal ideation and inducement

Rain cascaded from the top of my head; it’s pouring heavily as teardrops welled up in the corner of my eyes.

It didn’t take a while.

Tears slowly streamed down my cheek, blurring my gaze into the horizon with watery beads akin to that of dew.

And then, I let it flow.

Distant voices echoed through my ears—right before the busy, bustling street they call home.

Those voices belonged to that of a woman; blonde and slender, her voice magnetic as a cornering siren.

Words she uttered dripped like that of poisonous honey, her soft whispers caressing my earlobes.

She whispers:

“Who wanted you? If they really valued you as a dear friend, they’d come for you by the bridge you now stand in….”

“Suppose your body has been found dead by the corner of the bridge, while your friends were way too busy to care for you. What will you do then?”

“Do you think you were born because you were wanted?”

“Why were you born?”

The voices…..they won’t stop.

I drew my final breaths as I tried to jump off the bridge, cold and unsettling. As I bent my knees, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

It was him.

Disguised as a woman, he was there but to shatter me; my pride, my strength, and my heart.

Was he ever there just to shatter me?

His look felt addicting, his blonde locks blown by the breeze revealing his pale skin. He’s quite the man, he’s smiling through his eyes, enthusiasm unraveled without a hint of bitterness.

Yet I can’t fathom loving him for what he did;

Shattering me.

He caressed my cheek, claiming his disguise only told the truth.

I refused to believe him….the next thing I know….

Our bodies disappear.

And the abyss stares right back.