My milkteeth hang from a cord
around my neck.
A victory,
The first
A trophy of my worth,
Extension of my will.

Pairs of fangs and cloven hooves hang from a wire
around my neck.
A conquest, to best my equal is to best myself.
The truest test,
Earning a new day.

Glittering gems and heated metals hang from a strip of leather
around my neck.
I have wrenched these from the earth,
Imprinting myself into the soil,
And it’s soil into me.

An exaltation of gripping, seething hunger.
A last breath before I immerse myself in lifeblood
In and out
I remain steadfast
In
Out
in

A man’s last blood and breath hang in a ring
Around my neck.
He took from me,
And so I took from him.
Tore his throat out with my hands.
His blood sustains me..

I take the smallest fingers now, and hang them on a necklace
Around my neck.
I no longer fight the earth for her treasure.


My thrall do it for me,
And when they die there are
Always more

Bodies broken upon my will hang by the dozens
Around my neck.
I take their families now, their worlds belong to me.
An example to the rest of this world.
Inertia whirling infinite

Smog and rust form a halo
Around my neck.
The bodies lie in piles but they cannot weigh
Me down.
Their prize for setting me free

The inevitable conclusion
All is earned by sweat blood and will

This earth’s frigid corpse hangs as a corona
Around my neck.
I was made to consume everything

See my tail
The last great conquest
Devour the devourer
An ouroboric cycle
Your young watch and learn

Their milk teeth hang from
A cord around their necks