A Beautiful Poison

by Lydia Kang

She was a woman, after all. It was their lot in life, wasn’t it? Never to own yourself completely.

There were only so many pieces of your heart that could be damaged before it irrevocably changed you.

“If I wanted ordinary, I wouldn’t be standing here with you, would I?”

Somewhere in the world at that moment, there was a birth, a death, a sunrise, and a sunset. There was despair, and

a burst of laughter, a promise broken, and a vow made. And there was this kiss.