Life is a soul-sucking leech,
Stealing all warmth,
Leaving shivering bodies in its wake.

Still, in those rare times
When you find the will to go on,
So you cuddle under a fluffy blanket of comfort,
Life rips it away,
Sending you outside,
To where the temperature drops below freezing,
Getting colder and darker,
Until every last snippet of light
And every last prickle of heat
Has gone.

You're left alone in the chilly night air,
Feeling completely and entirely numb,
Inside and out.

Your breath is hardly visible,
You're brimming with anxiety,
Then just when you're on the brink of insanity,
Death takes you in his frosty grip,
Finally.

***

12/08/2017