madness in all shapes of lavender
an army of opportunistic pathogens,

recruiting bacteria, burgeoning in the nook

of a pale ear, your latest abscess,

about the size of an olive pit.
the self portrait of your sister haunts you

at 3 a.m. when you change bloody bandages.
the kaleidoscope of darkness

is also the size of an olive pit,

less of an almond, more like half a triangle.
si vis pacem para bellum.

if you seek peace, prepare for war.
when the draining stops, you stimulate

a series of reaction with a 9 millimeter

parabellum. when the voices
in your head start conversing in vietnamese

you’ll need a second pair of skin:

the largest organ, pretzel pulled.