berry

berries bleed between my nails,
the more i sort for the ripest one.
the more i am stained,
the more i search.

i prick my finger upon
enchanted thorn—
welcomed by mother’s swift slap,
punishment for my pickiness.

i will not learn untouchable lessons,
but i will remember stains—
red, smeared across my hands,
a mark that lingers.

nightshade casts a shadow
over her sweeter sisters,
imperceivable poison
lurking beneath her skin.

baited by betrayal,
biblical in nature—
a deceptive disciple
melts between my molars.

in my wrongs, i am released
while sweet wine seethes
through my teeth, onto the soil
where god first planted consequence—

damming eve.