To Swallow the Sun
Suzanne Lavallee
​
Once upon a time—
in the land of stories
that start at the end
and meet in the middle—
was a tale of love so twisted
it could poison wine.
The lovers
cards clutched in the hand
of a greedy goddess,
a tower of white
with glowing eyes
in the belfry.
You can run, but don’t you know
there isn’t anywhere
you can hide from me?
the sapphires, rubies, and opals
blending into blue dirt,
crushed in the hands of
the lover by the stream.
The queen would swallow the sun;
she was prophesied to ride
as she swallowed the souls
of those she damned.
In this land of backwards time,
the queen of roses and empty
promises was to drive her heels
into an unbroken empire.
As she choked on her sun
she should’ve known
the punishment for swallowing
a lover's soul,
even if it was given willingly.
Suzanne Lavallee (she/her) is an eighteen-year-old writer based in a small town in New England. She is the co-founder of The Limelight Review, an online literary magazine for disabled & neurodivergent voices, as well as a volunteer for The Authors of Tomorrow. She can be found writing, listening to Lana Del Rey, or on social media: @suzannelvwrites on Twitter & IG: @suzanneofthebooks.