Creature in my Bloodstream

Inspired by Touch by Daughter.

There is a creature in my bloodstream,
I feel his claws deep into the night;
They scrape against the inner walls of my insides
Bursting vessels
Severing my veins
Gnawing my bones.

There is a creature in my bloodstream,
I hear his growls low in my mind;
Great howls of anguish
Echo against the walls of my skull.
Snarling against my ribs,
Sniffing around my heart.

There is a creature in my bloodstream,
He burrows silently into my brain,
He preys on my heart;
Shot through my veins,
Scraping against my stomach,
Ripping at my intestines. 

There is a creature in my bloodstream,
He slithers up my vertebrae;
Spiraling his way into my nerves,
Tying them into knots,
Entangling them intricately into coded disarrays,
Incapable of being undone.

There is a creature in my bloodstream,
He's opening me up
From the inside out;
Nipping my throat, 
Burning my lungs,
Sucking the marrow from my bones. 

And the only thing he'll leave me when he goes
Are the scars he gave me
Just for show.

Reviews

[Darkimmortal]

Wow... I really really love this.
I feel horrible for saying this, because this one problem pales in comparison to the amount of amazing that is in this poem, but you might want to change vertebrate to "vertebrae", as that is more accurate. Now that I have gotten that out of the way, let me comment of how truly amazing this poem really is.
First of all, I love the first repeated line, it is a very effective way to remind me as the reader that this thing is always present within you, and then the removal of that repeated line in the last stanza for when it leaves you, simply brilliant. The wording is so accurate and wonderful and paints the most vivid of pictures in my mind.
It seems that everyone has their own personal monster at some point in their life, it all depends on how long he decides to stay, and how much he breaks before he decides to leave. This is very well done, and I cannot wait to read more.

[crystallized illusions]

Ahh! Thank you so much for the correction. I had meant to say 'vertebrae', but it would seem I had a slip of the fingers (and a slip of the mind). I'm extremely grateful that you caught it.

I'm so glad you enjoyed reading this so extensively (: Thank you so much for your kind review and for your precious time. I'm absolutely flattered. I really enjoy using imagery in my work, and am always so pleased when it affects the reader in just the way I want it to. Thank you again.

[Ars Goetia Poetry]

Wow, this is such a great piece of poetry :)

[crystallized illusions]

Thank you so much ^-^