the corruption

a new set of bloody hands for you, just for you.

oh how quickly the corruption comes---

where one day strong

then a slip &

a fall,

then a pain in the side,

then a need for a cure,

then a realizing eye

(that without those round your single island you’ll so very certainly

die alone, suffering & stuffing your face with old moldy

coconuts)---

so out into the ocean with the rest of us

out into the abyss that never quite pays off

out into the place of no return

out into the winter without a decent coat

shiver

shiver

shiver

shiver &

the fingers

the toes

once warm & toasty, now begin to tell a new tale

one of disgusting dependence on others

one of a quest for social acceptance in order to acquire the proper

medicine

in order to recover from what at the time

seemed to be only a small wound.