first there comes an itch at the root

of your tongue, paralyzing the nerve

that connects the brain and the spine

you fail to articulate

as the itch sinks into your throat

it swells up and squeezes into the lungs

forming a tumor; you may want a cigarette

if so, the tumor spreads to the heart

your heart isn’t broken but more painfully

it begins to rot like expired canned fruit—

a smelly container of poisonous juice

that, soon, starts to leak out

and fills the belly. Then your livers turn into

a living corpse in formalin, and your intestines

a snake soaked in wine. At this stage,

if any touch, jostle or stretch is made

to your mind, the corpse cracks

and the snake

it falls into inches

Image by: Roy T