The Vermin of Varice

Contributor: Chuck Oliver

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I'm shitting blood red now.
Sitting here my downward dog pointed out the problem--
magenta rosettes floating in a light rose bowl.

My god what a mess... like molten lava
mixed with the deep Georgia clay.

Yeah, it could be cancer,
but I've eaten jiguat for lunch every day for weeks now,
and it's known to be infected with the Vermin of Varice--
microscopic creatures with teeth so ferocious and talons so bizarre
they're known to cause deep sea nitrate dreams
and night terrors in the scientists
that investigate them under microscopes.

I have to start eating better.

So I went to the Voodoo clinic to get dosed,
but they decided on a different incantation
partially formulated from a rare isotope
extracted from ethers found only
within a narrow range of atmosphere along the 38th parallel.

But, the most important component
requires a Shaman practitioner with a putrid breath
specifically fostered to strip the flesh from whales
and coax the oils from its fat.

It's the fat and isotope blend that's thought to be curative,
but it never achieves its efficacy outside the context of a specific charm,
and as incredible of a sight it is to witness the terrifying breath
causing oils to drip from the flesh of whales,
the process of the charm is beyond all else.

It first requires the healers to encase themselves in cocoons
constructed from the actual cocoons of the Mozambique mud beetle.
This requires thousands of their tiny armor to be sown together
with thread spun from the webs of desert Dracula spiders;
it results in a spectacular sight, as the silk is tinged red
from the hemoglobin rich diet of the spiders.

Once so encased the charm begins in chorus:

     We who command a healing respectfully
     request a fusion of ether and oil,
     extraction of flesh below meet substance
     which holds the void to whole.

Since the ether is a unifying substrate, it allows a molecular communication
beyond the comprehension of minor alchemists.

Consequently space itself begins
a perceptible and auditory harmonic quiver.
In addition to the assumed efficacy of the charm,
it's certainly those harmonic vibrations
that allows an ideal emulsification of the oil and either;
the hemoglobin rich environment also
adds greatly to the visual spectacle of the charm,
and charms always charm best when combined with a spectacle.

It's also a widely held belief by all practitioners
that the enormous amounts of clotting mechanism
from the thousands of tiny Vampire cocoons
has a coagulative effect instrumental in the cessation
of all form of gastrointestinal bleeding,
especially that caused by the grotesque claws
and talons of the Vermin of Varice.

As one can imagine, a process like this is expensive beyond belief,
and yet another reason that I just have to start eating better.


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Registered Nurse, try to be writer and a minor poet, just keep scratching at the paper to see what kind of freaky shit flows.