I hadn't lost anything but a few coins
yet the grief overwhelmed me

a snake slid into my mouth slowly and ebbed down my throat

I could feel it drag itself through me
my body nothing but a means to its end

I pushed my fingers in after it to try and catch it, missing it

failed again by dull reaction time

I felt it writhe around in my gut
here was nothing I could do
to stop it from eating away
at whatever it found deep inside

so I poisoned it,
streetlights outside my window were glowing tenderly,
I watched my shadow's mouth fill up

pills first, then *****, then blood

I wanted that little imp slithering around in my insides to die

even if it killed me too