amber glass

i am a mass of boiling liquid
captured and corked in amber glass
sometimes, the liquid seeps out
slides down the curves, spills onto the floor
sometimes, the cork pops
the bottle bursts
liquid spews onto everything within reach
everything that matters
everything that doesn’t
i am both villain and victim
irrelevant, monstrous
deceptively so
for my smile radiates such light
recalls the warmth of the sun
yet my thoughts are dark and jagged
like shards from a broken bottle
the wounds the villain inflicts
leave the most hideous of scars
the victim weeps
seeps liquid down the sides of amber glass
the villain stirs to slay her
there is rage
there is shame
and sadness
there is me