Heart
Hel did not have a heart, until Niflheim
planted one in her with its absent sun,
sprouting in the chapmarks of her skin,
colonising the length of her pale body
growing into a gown of roses
decaying in Niflheim's dry winds,
mushrooming like vampires' lips
setting dead throats ablaze.
Hel's heart is the savage,
ethereal desire to exist
as a heart.
About the Author
Beatrice Feng studies creative writing at Lancaster University, England. They are an aspiring author.