Dreadful (Tattered Curtain)

by Greer Rivers

People are always so interested in tattoos. Even total strangers get insulted if you don’t want to explain their meaning. Tattoos are like most things people feel entitled to. The ink is on your body, so you must have wanted them to ask, right? They can’t comprehend that you made a choice about your body without having them in mind.

Over the past four years, I’ve slowly honed myself into a weapon. My curves catch men’s gazes, my lips tell lies that lure them in, and my hands spill their blood.

“Tallie is very important to me, Percy. She and I…we’re cut from the same cloth. No stronzo like you will ever touch her against her will again. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s mine. And no one touches what’s mine.”

If kneeling for her is weakness, then I’ll gladly hand over all my strength to help her heal. The woman I love deserves nothing less.