A Gracious Host

Every surface
must be assumed
to be infested
the man bent at the waist
face an inch off
the back of the chair
eyes unhinged
ogling orbs
rapt in intense examination
for the slightest hint
of nit or movement
the man who sits
upright as a sign post
never to let his back
touch seat back
as at the bar
he studies adjacent
patrons
their stools their hair
the verminous menace
they represent
all is potentially acrawl
in lice, scabies, bedbugs
the world
a swollen sea
of pestilence
mindlessly breeding
in dark places
bent on conquering
and inhabiting new domains
the horrible thought
the certain knowledge
of it
raises on the neck
the hairs
where the unknown
may now amass
to bite to feed
he must scratch
nails dig into dry scalp
uproot follicles
claw up old scabs
like rotting logs in the forest
to expose to daylight
the wriggling writhing
enemies of sanctity
that thrive
under the skin
just below the surface
in need of peeling away
to tear further into
subcutaneous tissues
draw forth the foulness
cleansing blood
to run free
is such a relief
as all turn upon the scene
the bouncer
afraid to touch
escorts the bleeding man
to the street
as he curses and condemns
the filth the sickness the dirt
this unclean existence
everyone will be sorry
everyone will despair
loved ones consumed alive
bones picked clean
for even the vultures
there will be nothing left
just pure white bones
pure and white
like the foam
at the corners of his mouth