The only way to get him was to take him alive.
Leave his hollowed-out rind at your feet —
another of your kind may want it for his face.
It’s no concern of yours. You came for the meat.
Soon enough you’ll find once you’ve had your fill
of him, the real game’s slipped away. You can try
to taste of others, but he satisfied you to the bone.
That’s nothing to you now. You’ve earned the kill,
and it’s sweetest when it’s raw. Take your time,
but finish your meal; it’s getting late,
and too many others are starving. If you don’t
eat it all, somebody else will.
Christmas 2009