Occupying
a human body
is horrifying.
Open wounds bleed;
central nervous breakdowns;
heartbeats bring life,
its cessation brings death;
a freeing prison cell.
Bones fracture in life
or after in becoming dust.
The mind creates beauty
and nightmares easily.
Eyes bring sight
and go blind.
Scattered throughout the body
are angry little gods bestowing
wonders and taking them away
on a whim or cellular fluke.
Out of a seed
planted we spring
to a life more
complex than any,
only to be reduced
to a death like
others; dust
to dust, ashes
to ashes. Ashes,
ashes
we all
fall
down.
Our body being most
wonderful
in some ways and most
horrible in other ways
does not help in the
least.
The worms have their feast
wither and die to
be eaten too, dust
becoming dust, ashes
eating ashes
ad infinitum.
Bernardo Villela has short fiction included in periodicals such as Coffin Bell Journal, The Dark Corner Zine, Constraint 280 and forthcoming in Rivet. He’s had stories included in anthologies such as 101 Proof Horror, A Monster Told Me Bedtime Stories, From the Yonder II, and forthcoming in Disturbed and 42 Stories among others. He has had poetry published by Entropy, Zoetic Press, and Bluepepper and others. Website: www.miller-villela.com. Twitter: @BernardoVillela. Instagram: @bernardodeassisvillela.