Refrain: something repeated
in a song. Or withheld, verb
of refusal. Cease and desist
Diseased flesh becoming less
as flesh, more as detritus,
the forest floor decaying.
The body plays a cancer
fugue, ad infinitum, ad
nauseum. What are feet if not
to run. The voice deadpans fear
or lack of fear. Gossamered
by shadow, the eyes demur.
Not everything can be still,
not tumor, not the predator
chasing and chasing. Not
the world with its revolving
ache. Postulate: if someone
is killed, then someone has killed.
O heart, O damage, shall we
return to the refrain again?