i am war, i am rage, i am
blood that pulses pulses pulses
and finally empties itself
into rivulets, streaming, screaming
down throats and fingertips.
i am hate, i am pain, i am
the glory of releasing all of this
into other people's brains,
i am the narcissistic pleasure
of dim and dull and blunt.
i am fate, i am harsh, i am
inevitable and eventual and
brother to chaos, the mess you make
in trying to keep your religion
safe from the unsaved.
i am sharp, i am cold, i am
the icicle that plunges off
the drop, the pebble that echoes
down the side of the canyon
where you can't see the bottom.
i am strong, i am gross, i am
foolish enough to ignore others
in their similar searchings
and angry enough to resent
others treading my path.
i am gore, i am stark, i am
death roaming pastures golden
with dead weeds and not-quite-clean
bones and blood that has leached
all life from the soil.