My drug is the ink, forever on my body;

Supplied by a needle

All too eager to bring me misery.

The constant pain is my high—

The source of my addiction.

The lullaby, a harsh buzzing, an angry bee,

Is sung to me by the cold, relentless machine.

My tormentor’s menacing song whets my desire—

With every note, I am consumed.

My addiction comes with a price much more valuable than money—

Subjection to hours of intense discomfort.

Where there should be agony,

I only encounter relief

Delivered by the relentless prick of the fine metal rod,

Up and down,

A dolphin breaking the surface of the ocean.

A stream of tension flows

From every shallow puncture,

Bringing with it, a new droplet of blood.

The deep burgundy contrasts my pale skin—

A porcelain doll adorned in small rubies.

I begin to grow numb;

The affliction caused by the needle

Caresses my tender skin.

Succumb to Pain

And he will have mercy.

Succumb to Desire

And she will never loosen her grasp.

Desire is at war with Pain,

But Desire never fails to claim her victory.