I hold their secrets like jewels;

rubies rubbing my chest

or diamonds dangling from my soft fingers

that swing in the low light of a cave,

casting colorful shadows against the walls

from where words are set

in precious stone.

 

I guard their secrets

like a dragon over jewels and

rub my thumb

along the sharp edges,

I watch beads of blood bloom

while I wear every gem

in a twisted crown of trust.

 

Their secrets fill the cave

and flood my head.

When the gems grow too heavy,

they spill from the crown

into my lungs;

a kaleidoscope of beautiful molten lava

that chokes me.

 

I will die here –

alone,

weighed down by their secrets

and suffocated by my dragon’s hoard.