i am deformed
in a chilling
dark-sky tundra
crouching over
my grandmother
chewing through
the rotting meat

a fragile girl touches
my right shoulder
with her left shoulder
and smiles deeply
as if she and i have shared
an undisturbed childhood
as if she and i fell in love
only to be torn apart
by the drafting
of young men
not bound for college
to the western front

i am transformed.
a mishandled corpse
full of flavor
awaits me no longer
with loving eyes

distrust led to hunger
which led to consumption
which led to deterioration
which led to weakness
which led to paranoia
which led to distrust