Cruelty

The words rain down in an avalanche of abuse:
Brusque. Bruising. Ugly.
Words meant to cow and crush,
Deflate and squash
Extinguished all hope,
Leave no shred of dignity, no strength to survive
These words slither like stinging serpents,
Surround like speeder snakes, racing as swift and relentless,
Circling in obscene choreography,
Certain of their superiority and inevitable victory.
These words are deadly.
Every insult lands like a sledge hammer,
Inflicts a crippling blow,
Cracks and shatters the frail scaffolding
That holds the self together.
Every sneering judgment is an indictment,
 A tongue of fire, searing and charring vulnerable flesh,
Each poisonous epithet, a stroke of the executioners sword,
Leaving behind blood-soaked remains, bubbling and seeping into the soil