We are parasites, bulbous bodies entangled,
Swarming atop nests of rotten flesh, fighting
And crowding on an already choked planet,
A hive mind of greed and gluttony, evil oozing
From our pores, sickly brown muck slicking
Our palms as we tear through dying matter.
Our bulging guts and sunken eyes scan for
Nourishment as we traverse the hollowed husk
We inhabit, moondust clinging to our scaled
Skin, bloody fingertips dripping black oil, a
Secretion of toxins pooling in the beds of our
Nails, black craters spreading and devouring.
Carnage has become our nature, bestial and
Savage, a dying race clinging to the tethers of
Salvation, unborn and unloved in an alien land,
Castaways forever wandering the limitless
Horizon, searching for the world we destroyed,
Consumed by fangs of shadow and bloodlust.
We are husks of our ancestors, withered shells
Wavering on scorched winds, senseless beings,
Numb to pain, programmed solely for survival,
Our receptors coded to self-destruct upon
Successful procreation, mechanical and artificial,
We trudge on, awaiting death’s forbidden embrace.
Audra Burwell is a creative writing major with a strong emphasis on fantasy-themed poetry and fiction that covers universal subject matter. Her work has been published by Palaver Journal, Deep Overstock, Carcinogenic Poetry, Serpentine Zine Literary Magazine, and Superpresent Magazine, as well as appearing on the DO Fiction Podcast. She studies at California State University Fresno where she is aiming for a Master of Fine Arts degree. She is currently employed by Fresno State’s Kremen Department as a Communications Assistant.