Every drop of it

squeezed

every drop of it

required

drip

drip

drip

of sacrifice.

We can’t escape this life

without being bled

right through

pure

satin sheets

white

then red

the needle

to the last

moment

drop by drop

all the conversations

drain

like a pure white sheet

blotted

with blood

strained

the blood rushes

like a river

downstream

escaping

puncture holes

like a sieve.

We are losing our blood

until we replace it

like a gas can

filled with gas

We have someone else’s blood

pumping through our veins

distorting our thoughts

like wild accusations

holes, must be stopped

blood, purified

It’s a nation of bloodless

corpses

It takes blood

to live your life

It takes sacrifice

until you’ve slaughtered every dream

but one

the fulfillment of the blessing

is not

the realized dream

but the blood

you didn’t sacrifice

circulating

keeping you alive

If you sacrifice that

you’ll be one of the bloodless corpses

dried in the sun

and mummified

for future generations

to find

propped up

in an old curiosity shop

a curiosity

for those

who don’t understand

the necessity

of sacrifice.