Shayla Raquel > Quotes

“Did you fall in love with me at the end of this poem?
The one I wrote in the middle of the night when I fell in love with you.”
― Shayla Raquel, All the Things I Should've Told You: Poems on Love, Grief & Resilience

“The meat hovers right by his lips, so he opens
his mouth, as slowly as a drawbridge. I place the bite of flesh onto his tongue, and seduction overtakes me. His lips clamp down as I pull the utensil away. He chews. Swallows. Licks those lips.”
― Shayla Raquel, Savage Indulgence: A Grisly Short Story with a Twist Ending

“Each cut, hole, and scar
led me to a deep confession:
You maimed me with words
and not a single weapon.”
― Shayla Raquel, All the Things I Should've Told You: Poems on Love, Grief & Resilience

“We became Facebook friends, I later
invited them to dinner, and now here we are.
At my dining table, where I have drugged them.”
― Shayla Raquel, Savage Indulgence: A Grisly Short Story with a Twist Ending

“You are blood,
But you aren’t family.
You look like me,
But you’re my enemy.
You share my surname,
But you rob me of my sanity.
You are of my lineage,
But you created a tragedy.”
― Shayla Raquel, All the Things I Should've Told You: Poems on Love, Grief & Resilience

“What a waste! I have wasted time, resources, energy. Tattoo ink taints the flesh. It is more than a permanent scar—it is a nausea-inducing taste that I refuse to consume.”
― Shayla Raquel, Savage Indulgence: A Grisly Short Story with a Twist Ending

“My sorrow starts as a steady stream
until the tears run like rapids,
spilling . . .
bursting . . .
gushing . . .

And I can’t dam the grief because, you see, there are things I should’ve told you.”
― Shayla Raquel, All the Things I Should've Told You: Poems on Love, Grief & Resilience

“The key is to let the meat sit.”
― Shayla Raquel, Savage Indulgence: A Grisly Short Story with a Twist Ending

“The taste of Beth—I salivate thinking about it. I’ll cook her using a reverse sear. Low temp in the oven on a wire rack, then sear both sides in my cast-iron skillet. Drown her in butter. Golden crust, pink center. I slip into slumber, dreaming about her.”
― Shayla Raquel, Savage Indulgence: A Grisly Short Story with a Twist Ending

“I finally slice into my steak. My first bite is velvety and robust. Melt-in-your-mouth tender. Hardly have to chew. I swallow my morsel of meat. Relish in the taste.”
― Shayla Raquel, Savage Indulgence: A Grisly Short Story with a Twist Ending