“A Vampire’s Ode to You” by Chloe Erickson
October 31, 2024
I wake upon the cold floor
I peal myself from it
Then I notice
A full heat
A choking cloud
Evidence of a life ended
Not a cut string
But rather burned away
My thread loose
And I raise
The corroded metal
Like pennies and rust
Sharp and thick
Like clouds of fiberglass
And I see you
Stuck to the floor
Through the rust and cloudy red
I hear you beating
My mouth didn’t feel cold
Until it rushed in
It brought me alive
Pricking fingers
Bleeding noses
Sticky pull of a wound before you notice it
As it drips
From my chin
Gushes
Flows
From your arm
Your veins
Roots through your body
Giving you life
And while it’s no fresh laundry
Or swaying wisteria
As it pierces
And warms
From you to me
I taste it’s savory heat
And I feel transcendent
Oh
What a gift
Life
This poem was written by Chloe Erickson as a 12th grader at Ballard High School with WITS writer-in-residence Rachel Kessler. Performed at the Seattle Arts & Lectures Meet Cute Series event with Casey McQuiston at Rainier Arts Center on Thursday, October 31, 2024.