Critical Piranhas

NB: this is not autobiographical.

Tread warily. The waters here are deep
and filled with hungry disputatious fish.
They'll strip your flesh to bone. They'll make you wish
you'd stayed in bed. No black horse in your sleep
can carve its hoofprints in your waking mind
the way these fish can leave their bloody marks
on you. As well go swimming with the sharks
as trust a critic's judgment is refined.

They brush against a cautious wader's legs
then nip and zip away, these piscine phages
like silverfish who nibble on the pages
of aging books, until the victim begs
for mercy. Once the water's streaked with red,
the critics won't give up until they're fed.

Collection available! Knocking from Inside