I decided to challenge myself this year for National Poetry month. Normally, I try to do a freewrite each day for the month of April. But, this year I wanted to focus on narrative poems specifically. I also wanted to post the poems in order to encourage consistency and a higher level of effort. When April 1st came, I wrote the first draft for “The Violence of a Kiss,” and I quickly realized that a poem a day would be way too ambitious. My schedule has been busier than usual lately and it took me a whole week to finish this narrative poem. So, I’m adjusting my expectations and now I’m aiming for a poem a week. I want to challenge myself, not push myself over the edge.

Title

“The Violence of a Kiss”

Synopsis

Stacia confronts a vampire at her school, in the hopes of turning into a vampire herself.

Inspiration

This story idea was inspired by the song “Violent Kiss” by Eyes Set to Kill.

Two football players nearly barrel into me,

caught up in the latest vampire news.

I slam my locker door shut.

Nothing. They don’t even turn my way.

I’m nothing more than a ghost whisper.

Screw this.

I’m done being human. I’m ready to be more.

And I know just the girl to help.

As soon as the final bell rings, I set my plan in motion.

I slip past the shadows of girls through osmosis,

as they flood out of the locker room.

Lauren is always the last to leave.

She turns around and staggers back a step.

“Stacia.” It comes out breathy and I must imagine it.

Nobody knows the name of the invisible girl.

Her colorless arms guard her heart

while her eyes search mine.

“What are you doing here?”

I gleam her glare through her glasses.

“Well, I was looking for you.”

I strut towards her, “You have something I want.”

My finger trails across the bridge of her arms

and I shudder from the freezer burn.

“I know exactly what you are.”

Her body recoils and her tension replaces my own.

“What do you mean?”

Her throat bobs while she takes a step back.

“Oh, you know what I mean.”

I shove her body against a locker,

swallowing her gasp as I cover her mouth with my own.

I snake my tongue over each tooth.

Searching.

My hands fuse her hips to mine.

She groans and grips my hair,

pulling me even closer.

A pinch and prick meet my tongue,

but still no blood.

Lauren gives me a rough shove.

“Stacia, you need to go.”

Her pupils melt into her irises,

shifting into a sanguine kaleidoscope.

“NOW.” Snarling, she showcases her fangs.

“You have no idea how hot you are right now.”

Bloodlust hijacks my mind and guides me to her.

She makes a move toward the exit,

but I lunge and latch onto my prey.

Our bodies blur into one being

while we bang our bones on the floor.

Her nails catch on the cracks of the tile below

and her legs flail, fighting off air.

She’s playing a fool’s game.

We’re tangled in this coffin together.

“No. Stacia, you don’t understand.”

Straddling her hips, I pin her shoulders down.

“I can’t do it. I can’t put you through that.

You have to let me go.”

I tilt my head to display my throbbing throat.

Dewy drops of drool drip from her fangs.

“I know you want to. You want to feed. You want me.

Why fight it?”

I attach my lips to her phantom pulse point.

“Stacia,” she whines.

“Everything comes with a price.

You’ll be a slave to your hunger,

always wanting more.”

She brushes my hair to the side.

“I already spend every second wanting more.”

Her throat is soft clay in my palm.

“You have no idea what it’s like

to have everyone look right through you.

I’m only half a person.”

My lips collide with hers to seal the deal

and I feel a bruise blooming,

but I couldn’t care less.

My tongue darts in,

offering up my lips as a parting gift.

At last, the metallic taste of victory sends

a signal that spreads my lips in a smile

and I feel the sting of my skin splitting.

Her fangs are cleansed by crimson streaks

while my blood spotlights her desire.

Her eyes shift again and Lauren is gone.

Wait. This isn’t right.

“W—”

My breath catches and the burn of my neck

echoes the bite, blinding me,

as my body lets me go. I fall and fall

into the black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where am I?

The locker room?

Oh, yeah. Lauren.

Were the lights always this bright?

There’s so much gurgling and sloshing about outside.

Blood.

My thoughts are heavy and hollow.

Blood.

There’s a note with my name on it.

I need blood.

“Stacia,

Come straight to my house,

(72 Green Street). So hungry. 

We need to go over the rules.

DO NOT GO HOME.

I’m sorry I wasn’t stronger.

-Lauren”

Rules?

Blood. Now.

I don’t have to follow her damn rules.

I can—blood—do whatever I want.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My mom greets me at the front door.  

“Hi honey, how was school?”

Give me blood.

“Stacia? Are you feeling okay?

You look pa—OH MY GOD.

What’s wrong with your eyes?”

I smell blood.

My mother closes

the distance between us.

My hunger crosses

the threshold of my control.

Shit.

What have I done?

THE END

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I hope you enjoyed the story! Let me know what you thought of it. I’m trying to get better at writing narrative poems by just jumping into it.

Check out my previous blog post by clicking the link under the email list sign up form!

Also, if you’re interested in checking out my debut poetry collection Juniper, you can find it here.