Surprise me as you drift your eyes slowly up & down
My body,
As you surmise me with your eyes & your sighs
That you let out with each lie
That slips out of your lips
Like a leaking tap that drips
Your sobbing cries are the spur to your departing friends
Who have taken flight, because
You have become an unwanted sight,
A carbuncle, an oozing wart
Whose puss congeals like spilt blood
On the side of your mouth,
Those ‘pilgrims’ retreating from one another in repulsion
Your nose an obese arthritic Sultan
Who slouches on his throne
Squelching plums and frozen berries in his inflamed hands
That beckon to the boys, his toys
To come a little closer,
So that he can surprise them,
Drift his eyes slowly down and up
Their bodies,
Sighing as he watches them lying
Next to one another,
Quivering with excitement,
His flesh appears to ripple,
As he waves his arms calling for the peacocks to be brought so he can
Admire them,
Dismissing the boys, his toys,
His pupils dilating –
This picture – perhaps you know it well?
Perhaps, even though you would rather compare it to hell
Somewhere inside you shrivel
Bow your head and say yes,
This is me somewhere,
Somewhere this is me.