It would be easier if I was consumable
soft, not angry, pleasing, not loud.
if my breasts could be carved from my beating heart
if my lips could be plucked from my acid tongue.
Most people only want the parts of me they can enjoy
separating gristle and tendon from sweet, soft flesh
but I have grown hard.
My meat is flavored with sorrow and rage and apathy,
spices you will not find in any store.
No amount of honey or salt can cure me.
I have brined in tears
I have burned in fire
I have been drained of life,
but my blood will not leave me.
Still, I am not softer.
Why am I not softer?
You would like it
if I gave in.
You could skin me and display my pelt
as a nice pair of boots, perhaps a belt.
My hair would make a fitting trophy.
My harsh eyes replaced with dead glass ones.
I know you’ve thought about this.
I am often told wild beasts taste better
than domesticated ones,
but I don’t think you can catch me or kill me.
You can ensnare me, I will give you that, but
I have pierced my own heart so many times,
no arrow or bullet could stop it now.
You can try to take a bite,
but like bone, I will catch in your throat.
Bitter pills are hard to swallow.
The medicine we don’t want
is most often the kind we need.
A. C. Eberhardt (they/them), aka Ace, is a nonbinary and neurodivergent writer whose work boldly traverses multiple genres and flouts the literary and speculative divide. They have been a finalist in several competitions, including Final Draft’s Big Break Contest, the Austin Film Festival, ScreenCraft, and Stowe Story Labs. They were also featured in Deadline as having written one of the best original TV pilots by a queer writer in 2023. Their adapted fantasy titles have been published on Webtoon Originals. Currently, they are writing a new animated fantasy television and webcomic series set to release in July 2025. As a devoted dog parent and passionate nature lover, they feel most at peace living between the mountains and the sea with their beloved black lab, Loki. Their favorite revenge story is The Count of Monte Cristo. You can check out their portfolio at https://aceberhardt.myportfolio.com/
