Bad Blood (Poetry)

Sometimes I see the stain of it — the taint
shows through my skin — a shadow-hint of curse
as though I’m marked — some branding outlined faint
ill-omened — inescapable — perverse.

I cannot alter fate — the runes are cast
however hard I rage against the tide
the waves roll in regardless — bring the past
I jettisoned in hope I could outride

those breakers with dark currents of bad blood
their poison running cold through every vein
fear builds its sandbags high to stem the flood
but nothing holds as prophecy lays claim

I’m struggling to survive in such wild seas
while clinging on to sanity’s frail boat
outrunning cloud— the gene pool’s dark disease
I paddle hard to keep my mind afloat.