Separated at Birth

Her frozen hands hold me by the throat,

On acid and bleeding gums I choke.

And when there is no defence and no place to go

Only then shall I give up my ghost;

For even the desperate dregs of life’s dirty mantel

Cannot reach the beauty or even hold a candle

To the sheer devastation of the cruellest truth,

With only its wicked actions serving as proof.

The teeth that gnash and the wounds that scar

Separate us all as well as claim us here.

I cannot turn away nor saturate myself in its water –

Finding myself evading the most natural slaughter.

Holding up my hands to shield my face,

Was it my life that corrupted this stolen grace?

(turn away nor can I)