To the Cult in the Woods
there was a scream
in the woods.
the hills reclining
trees parting
backs in never-ending
arches.
bare-chested
faces
elicit ecstasy.
as the styx
takes
too many arms
with fingers
curled into a snail's shell.
all the bodies
are dancing
gloriously
and know no bounds.
elbows are broken
dream-catching over heads,
jaws drop
down to
the almost vertical collar bone.
am i nothing more,
than the extent of which
my limbs can stretch?
i want to cry
and leap through
fields and fire
and come out anew,
my legs standing
where they’ve never stood before
because my feet are backwards
and my knees
inside out.
bare-chested
the screaming has stopped
and the faces in the trees
the river
the fire,
whistle
moan
and sing.
i dance through ashes,
tongue poking through
my melting teeth,
my falling gums.
it snakes out
of my ever-dropping jaw,
yearning to give
a new voice
to this new beauty.
finally,
a tiny whisper
in the back of my throat
escapes in joyful glee,
and i know that this
in the rolling hills,
the infinite trees,
the stream of souls,
is where my
forever tomb
has always been.
Katy Liles is a first-year business major. She is part of the Batten Honors College and is a member of the Virginia Wesleyan women's volleyball team.