Wads of the Paper Man (part 3)

they all look at where his old eyes were
he stares back with crinkled decree and inked sockets
mouth opening to howl
no tongue no teeth no voice
just the writing filling his brims
the coiled sheet within
crawls and stretches
out and beyond all orifi

his hands jerk up to his splitting face
shredding him at his elbows down to his ribs
across burst belly rending twisting maelstrom
papyrus and chicken scratch
heap lurching forward, legs stumbling to balance
rips knees open, then slits shins
all the same tendril pours out as it collapses
they all gasp  FWUMP!!

his mass hits the ground
but scatters tight and taut
no skin visible anymore
the crumpled mass is he

definitive silence becomes them all
the weight of a decision bears down
it drops to murmurs and bawling
as he roils in his dropped putrid filth
sops in the glot and gloop
pushes away the white chips 'n chits
suddenly contracts and constricts
with groans awailing away
punier and tighter clustering shapes
a tiny fetal child on its shins and elbows

a desperate moment
they look at each other

a booming he begins to unfold
detracting into a giant perfect sheet
creasless with gloss ink shining
blistered words to sharp edges
reaching across the edge of the valley

they did not even pause for the moment
and fell upon him like
vultures- no!!  cockroaches- no!!
like despicable foul human beings
the pettiest and greediest creatures
on the face of all
and tore him to scraps
grabbing all they could
and did what they could with his pieces

five years it took me
finding forgeries and shams too many
but i found this scrap, it's real
she said she was from that very village
her accent seemed on
but so many tricksters...
then she showed me
in a dark box i read it
saw it and bought it for
more than i should've
but it's him

i know because
i can hear him scream
whenever i read it



end-o