Dehumanizer

You call me venomous as you drift off to sleep,

But my poison only bleeds through my skin when I’m attacked.

You tied yourself around me and dragged me into the deep,

And I don’t think I ever got my bravery back.

You drift through these halls like a medieval ghoul,

Trying to convince me that the living made your bed.

You give each soul you know these tasks, then burn their tools,

And as a punishment you burn the city and the shed.

People hold your hands but you stare at the space,

Preaching silly little psalms about how we’re never free.

You tear down smiles until frowns freeze on faces.

I swear you’re not the one I met when I was twenty three.

-Jackie