My Protector Poem by Brian Rihlmann

Once, you were my protector,
my tough older brother
grabbing bullies
by the scruff of the neck,
my watchdog on a leash,
snarling through bared teeth.

Now I wear you on my face
like a frightening mask,
vacant eyes boring holes
through strangers' skulls,
a crooked mouth spitting venom
at harmless children
who wander too near.

My cells, my synapses,
and my thickened skin
have absorbed you, the way
a tree grows around
a barbed wire fence.

And when strong winds
bend my trunk
your rusty spurs dig
and I bleed inside.

But I feel it at least,
I feel you embedded there,
stabbing at red raw flesh
instead of drowning
in a void of numbness.