Words Of One Syllable

I could tear the heart out
of a fat old dog and eat it
raw, in front of you all,
just to prove I could do it.

Stand there stock still
once it’s done and stare
at you all. You’re scared,
are you not?

I could then drop to my knees
and pluck a bloom up, take it
to my mouth, and sniff it.
You would be torn: come on,

is he for real? Does he
know what he does to us
when he does this? And I say:
of course I do. That is why

I do these things. I don’t
do them for me, you should know;
I am forced to do them and in my chest
I weep; you should know I weep

for all my deeds, all my small falls
from grace and from my place in this
world. I seem like a glass half full
to half of you;

it seems that I am a glass
half full of a vile gas
to the rest. To me as well.
But who will I be

when those are gone?
Just a dumb man in a tomb.
Just a damn fool,
locked up in a box.

Just a code
not to be cracked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
onward,
T