The Parasite in Winter

The cold darts in like a scalpel
And cuts away the scraps of sleep
It exploits my weaknesses
'Til cracks creak wide in my old skin

Shivers flow down my body
The muscles jerk and snap
Livid flags in February wind

The lightbulbs gutter as I roam
These frigid, bloodless halls
Where the enzymes drip down slow
And despairing villi beg for my warm breath

Silence rests a velvet hand
On all the starved pests and empty beds
And the time draws near for me
To leave this place behind