Lunatic's Lullaby

They whisper simple, pleasant rhyme

When the verse counts one,

We tell a lie;

"I'm fine" says we,

And the verse is done.

Couplets call an arousing tug

Of a heartstring broken,

Snapped twice in fun.

Now the curtain drawn on he the fool,

A rhapsody cleft; lays there, open.

Tiny squeaks peer through a shifting

Of insulation in a corner,

Black beasts, furred in urine, of putrid source

Many hurriedly eaten, but today

It marks the fourth.

Clanging, clanging, drums

Hit and bend a silver bowl.

Says it, to them, the five remaining -

"We are but empty,

Yet are we whole?"

The silence bites, gnaws away

The bloodied grim of the 6, engraved,

The dirty needles confirm, contort, repel -

Any notion of noise

And it never ends well.

Tap, tap, tap, tap,

Manage the ear, keep it close,

Keep it near.

Seven more to go 'till there's

Nothing left to fear.

Brick floor so soft,

So warm, so fluffed;

Brick floor, eighth crack,

So rigid, so rough.

Napping soon for the itch is dulled,

The meter totals 9;

Nine thrashing bangs of dented bone

Against the rust on a drainpipe.