The Beast Within

There’s a beast inside me

Waiting to overtake me

When I die to drink or drug

He may let himself in

He may come out

The beast never sleeps

He dreams all day

Waiting for me to step off the line in either direction

To celebrate or vacate

To drown him out only fills his gills

He isn’t always vicious

He isn’t untamed

If I have my wits about me I can hold him

I can hide him

When the chain breaks

When the muzzle falls

When my teeth gnash

He will devour anyone with a scent

He was born from rage and anger

From unreachable daggers

From betrayal

From lies

He lives because he couldn’t kill those who bred him

He isn’t made for this new world

He is for an uncivilized time

When those who need killing

Could be

I know him intimately

I wait to fall asleep until he has

I fight the desire to partake in social recreation

I know where his keys are

He has a name but I dare not whisper it

He has a number but you dare not call it

When my eyes roll back behind the lids

When my lip curls up a touch

When an eye squints

When my brow furls

He sits still

Waiting for the next slight

The next victim

The poor bastard that looks back

The utterance of any sound

He rips through me like a monster

This beast within

He claws and snaps at any beating heart

He wants to rid this world of wrongdoers

He wants to make them suffer

To bring prolonged agony and pain

He wants retribution

He wants an eye for an eye

A soul for a soul

He wants gruesome torment

He wants you to feel what you’ve done to others

He wants you aware of it all

He wants you to know who your tormentor is

Because he knows you

He has seen right through the mirror

Past your puppet

The beast within me

Sees the evil inside of you

And he is hungry

This world could fill his appetite forever