It is gnawing away tonight,

the alien, the parasite,

the body’s own black dog

with sharpened claws

and rabid spittle chocked teeth

is eating away at the spine

and I want to scream

this is not who I am…

 

but I left it far too late,

procrastinating

about Time,

always Time,

in which to reason with the parasite

that gnaws at my spine…

 

reason…

 

how to reason with the enemy within

and how to keep arguing