---

Having trudged this far

His heart no longer beat the same

From an Eden of abundance

To apologetic muttering over an empty quill

Muscle spasms kindle coughs of

Dry heaving dust and specks

Black blood spatters the dirt

Profane thoughts damn a once prosaic man

He abandons past identity when hunger overwhelms

Self empty as barren belly

Convulsing nervous hands lay a weighty stone

Still neighbor's blood trickles

Violence becomes the hand that feeds

In a world where change is the only constant