A Liar's Plague

If every morally reprehensible thing we did had a physical consequence, would we be any better than we are?

we awoke to find maggots under our skin
thin, black wriggling things
which protruded from our pores
a thousand squirming sins
they erupted, like new growth on a head
shaved bald
from the follicles of our scalps
so that as we scratched in puzzlement
their meat was clawed up
under our fingernails.
our flesh crawled, our skin sagged
yellow and unattached
to the pus and fat that fed the worms 
and this way we rotted-
a diseased soul, i watched your eyes
the sickness comes from inside
and your corneas were swollen,
the whites had become mottled brown
busted blood vessels obscuring the image of you
it's hard to see a man, when his eyes are hidden
so we link together skeletal fingers
jaundiced fingernails flaking with malnutrition
your worms and my worms intertwining
pushing thin black threads through the hair on our forearms
they wriggle their way to one another
everyone's a sinner
and it's a surprise to think we were so surprised
to realize the illness under the flaps 
of our hearts
would not squirm it's way through our blood stream
and begin to eat us from within.

Author's Note

I was going to use a picture of maggots for this, but I'm so horrified by maggots myself (bad childhood experience) I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Reviews

[William Maisonave]

Powerful and very descriptive.
I liked re-remember better...sorry

[Member Now Left]

I'm going to have nightmares now!
This is a very powerful poem. Excellent!!

[zendikar]

Wow what an interesting write, It's very deep and I feel as though I can only see the shallow part, but nonetheless this is an amazing write nice job!