She falls through the page,

Past the text,

To the place,

That is buried in the depths of his chest.

Through the fire and the rain,

To the cellar where he’s chained,

She approaches with her hand outstreched.

As she looks upon his face,

As she meets his manic gaze,

She discerns—one part man and one part monster.

Still she reaches for his cage,

And unlocks it full of grace,

Her own innocence soon slithering back to haunt her.

Now she’s falling further yet,

Down his gullet towards his depths,

Through the monster searching for the man she saw.

Though the world is choked with darkness,

Though the darkness yields no rest,

Soon a beating from the heavens guides her call.

Up a mountain born of the abyss,

Up jagged rocks that cut her wrists,

Up she climbs towards the beating promise of paradise.

‘Til alas she arrives at a chamber,

A cave of coronary bliss,

A cavern of fire buried deep beneath the ice.

Upon her entering fallen foes are scattered all along the floor,

And a sphinx rests upon their armored corpses.

“Only one may enter here,

She who answers without fear,

‘Who subdues the strongest forces of them all?’”

Upon this riddle her armor loosens

And her sword falls to the ground,

She approaches bare and gentle—

Eyes wide open.

Her slightest touch dissolves the sphinx,

The way is cleared without a sound,

She proceeds into the cavern as the chosen.

With every thump within her chest,

Beads of blood seep down her dress,

Falling down until they’re swallowed by the ground.

With every drop and every step,

The cavern beats as if possessed—

Captivated by a maiden so profound.

Her life, her love now circulates

Through this coronary cave—

Beating, flowing in the image of her heart.

With fire and blood she recreates

Forges man from monstrous fate

Finds the onefrom whom she’ll never be apart.