woman or wolf

is it better to speak or to die?

the boy who cried wolf

lied

until death

lies still

the girl who tried

truth

denied in court 

tried still 

fang indents choke 

her neck, wrists crosshatched

by claws 

she dare not reveal

her phantom pain 

invisible under oath

stigmata seep 

through white sleeves

bleeding down each button 

woman or wolf

the judge squints

while the courtroom constricts around her

red-handed in defense

rejected by justice

truth dies with her