As a child I recall keeping one eye open

whenever I had fallen asleep.

As I'd slowly drift into unconsciousness,

I remember vaguely how I would see

our misfortunate world upside down.

The only time I felt comfortable sleeping 

was at the foot of my bed.

When people had snickered and asked why

I'd kindly retort with "why not?"

I was an outcast for the majority of my life.

I had friends but I'd never fit in,

just as my shoes were always a size larger

in hopes that these petite feet would grow,

which unfortunately, they never did.

I always kept an anxious frame of mind.

It never changed, but it got worse.

I had kept scorpions as pets but one day

they'd gotten loose and surrounded 

those very same feet as if they were

wolves hungry for the kill.

I did not whimper, I did not moan.

But as they crawled their way up while 

they stung their way through my mouth,

and down my throat,

making their home in my heart.

They had taken control of my fragile mind.

And when they stung they caused immense pain,

and their venom they coursed through my veins.

Their welcoming gifts were hallucinations

that left me feeling insane.

As I got up from my seat and walked away,

the people who passed by me never cared.

They never seemed to notice

the scorpion lacerations that were left behind.

Nor did they notice my changed demeanor.

My blood was poisoned,

My skin - rotted.

And as their venom had worked its way 

All throughout each of my arteries,

I tried to hold back my burning tears.

I could not hear anyones screams with my ears,

for they have been deafened.

But, as I see the terror on people's faces,

All I want to do is help. 

Help, help, help.

That is all I ever do, 

yet I never get a bit back in return.

So as these scorpions invert their stingers,

Instead of injecting venom,

they drew out my blood.

The more I help people

the more they sink those nasty stingers into me. 

And then slowly, painfully

began to draw out my blood for their sake.

I had just then realized that people are 

those very scorpions because 

as they gathered around me,

they had pulled from me all that was leftover.

They sucked out every bit of my energy 

like magnets attracting cheap metal.

I had screamed and ripped at my skin,

for as the scorpions colonized themselves 

inside my body I had felt them

Suck in every last drop I had left to give.

When there was none left to drink,

I had fallen.

And they had exited my mouth in an orderly fashion.

People still continue to

take, take, take.

Until there was none left of me to take.