The Parasite in Winter - Pyrrhon

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