shark-bite

nip a little
               tug a little

nip a little
               tug a little

bite
bite
bite

then they tear a little more from you and

then you strike out,

hit a little, rip a little bit off

then you lash out,

hurt a little, cry a little bit more

still the sting burns,

yes it burns, an electric griddle

slow build and burn,

like a snake bite, see the red spot growing

soon you’re all numb,

from the nose to the bloody footprints.

they’ll think again,

‘fore they stab you with syllabic knife-falls

you’ve kept ‘em quiet,

kept them distant, now the silence swallows.

lone, you’re alone,

quite successful, just a broken shadow.

listen to the crickets

how they sing, always for another.

now’s when you feel

feel the cold, how it seeps into ya.

you’re now that shark

the solitary ‘mongst the fluid flurry.

cold beats the heart

beats the drum that will kill you some day.