Like rats,
Overbred in confined spaces
They maim and murder
Over scraps of meat
The nihilist ascendant
Empowered in a vacuum
Of order dissolute
And entrenched decadence
A pound of flesh is offered up
For any who demand one,
Not questioning the source
Still sharpening their knives
Chewing on scraps
That grow forever smaller
Emaciated, execrated
Avatars of contempt