Trembling under the sheets
eyes tightly shut, salty cheeks

A little boy hugs his quaking stomach
protecting himself from shiny eyes

Through the covers
A bony hand smooths down the sheets
around his head

He screams
But it’s too late

Eyes heavy, bleary
brain shaky and
hands slow

neon green numbers
illuminate the room

fingers grind into a keyboard
but the blank screen
is all that stares back

Blood cools against warm skin
Swords rise and clash down again
with the weight of a young man’s malice

Sour, hot breathes yell
In the face opposition

Face’s ***** and wet
Eye’s burning
And flies dropping in droves

The trees are burned alive
In the final fight for life

Leaves ignite in passion
And wither away
into dull browns

The ugly carcasses
drop to the cold ground
Trampled
And raked away

Tumble backwards
Trip on air
Bump an elbow
Bruise a hip

Clumsiness paints my body black and blue
Sick yellows curl around burst vessels
like constellations
against my midnight

I’d cover them
but why
hide the universe