It crawls beneath like a centipede under our bedspread
It stays there and tingles,
but after a while, we discover our skin is swollen.

It betrays our consciousness—
It comes like yeast into dough,
and we swell and rise,
we rise and swell,
until we eventually burst like a balloon.

Most times, it’s only then we realize we’ve swelled,
because it betrayed our awareness.
It’s pride, tingling our flesh,
causing a swell.
It comes unannounced,
and makes us welcome it.

It is left for us to kick it out,
trash it,
and pray to discern its arrival—
so it won’t cause us to swell and burst,
only to realize—after—
it has already caused a ruin.