badlands

 every meal was just stuffing for
 the void where the rage should be
 i hardly tasted what i didn't grow
 i hardly chewed what i didn't kill

 every single drink left
 sour shame in my throat
 none of my clothes smelled
 of human animal and this

 soft animal body couldn't
 remember how to unclench
 its neck and let its mind
 safely wander into sleep

 but lately there's been
 a new flavor for worn teeth
 biting into jackfruit for the first time
 overpowered and enamored with

 sweet shameless life