briefling
by michael r. burch

manishatched,hopsintotheMix,
cavorts,hassex(quick!,spawnan­ewBrood!);
then,likeamayfly,he’ssuddenlygone:
plantfood

NOTE: Here “briefling” is a dimunutive of “brief” and also a pun on “brief fling.” Keywords/Tags: brief, fling, man, hatched, hops, mix, ***, spawn, brood, mayfly, plant food

Rumours fly like dead carcasses,
             infecting those who they land upon.

But no one realizes that they were bitten, corrupted
             burrowing beneath conscious thought.

Seeding the larvae of what would seed within
            the canals of corrupted reflections.

Never realising that every thought was laid
            well before they knew and hatched diseased.