my occasional succubus

she came to me again last night

like a lover under cover of darkness,

a succubus threatening to consume my

essence, body and soul.

she nibbles at my toe,

at first playfully, the teasing of

a skillful courtesan practiced

in the arts of seduction,

before her gaudily painted lips part

slowly, lasciviously, her confident

smile transmogrifying into

attacking fangs piercing my foot

again and again and again,

venom injected excruciatingly,

spreading slowly through me

like a pool of blood expanding beneath

an exsanguinating corpse—

my ardent prayers for relief

ascending on stone ears:

there will be no exorcism

for me this night.

© 2009, Kenneth M. Rhodes