Insect Poem by Sean Irvine

Standing alone in the bitter silence.
A cold breeze engulfs my body and I start to shiver.
I feel so strange, There’s something different.
Cold outside but melting inside.
It’s a feeling never felt before.
Naked I stand in the bitter silence.
The silence gets to me,
My head starts to convulse.
My eyes roll into the back of my head.
My jaw clenches tight and my teeth grind themselves through every nerve.
I feel like my body is about to explode.
I relax my eyes and look around.
I freeze reality and time. (Both which don’t exist)
Freezing what means nothing to me.

I notice I have placed myself in a pile of straggly familiar insects.
They look like bees with no wings and huge pinchers.
Insects crawling aimlessly on my legs.
Lying eggs that hatch beneath the skin.
Larvae that I can feel tunnel their way through my bones.
They feed on the bone marrow.
I have no control over this army of insects.
Its almost like I stand here in such fear that I don’t want them to leave.
I feel as if these insects that feed on me are my friends.
Maybe,
I think allowed to myself,
It’s like putting my thoughts or my life in a vending machine.
I share my thoughts with anyone.
I feel as If I had sold my life the highest bidder.
In confusion I forgot about these insects (My friends)
The cold breeze of wind still engulfs me.
The insects still feed on me.
But the silence will kill me.
I have adapted to this feeling.
Making me an addict.
In time the insects started to feel good.
Now…
The cold breeze engulfs me.
But I get naked and spray myself down with water.
The silence no longer bothers me.
In fact…
It makes me stronger inside.
The insects still feed on me.
By doing so they feed my addiction.