Paws in one pile, legs in another.
Tear off the skin and use it to cover.
The piles of cut meat, the signs of defeat.
Animal destroyed, life-cycle complete.
Nothing wasted but little gained.
A runaway dog fatally maimed.
A soft shiny coat over smooth silky skin.
Now chunks of muscle and fat in a bin.
A family pet, a precious heirloom.
A child’s best friend denied of a tomb.
Now crude protein for peasants and pigs.
Meat chewed straight off the husk of its ribs.
Success rate is low with the apprentice in action.
Skills slowly sharpened by the master’s reactions.
Canine steaks, shanks and fillets on plates.
Choice cuts compensate for the student’s mistakes.
These sculptures of meat, a triumph of flesh.
The butcher revels in his pupil’s success.
The training complete, apprentice no more.
Now she can flay far more dogs than before.
Her status achieved, the butcher relieved.
His student turned master, his knives can be sheathed.
Her trail of despair only just beginning.
Dogs running helpless are dogs she’ll be skinning.
The new butcher finds herself a fledgling student.
One who maims even though they know they shouldn’t.
Cycle of anguish and death starts fresh again.
A legacy carried on through years of pain.
Paws in one pile, legs in another.
Tear off the skin and use it to cover.
The piles of cut meat, the signs of defeat.
Animal destroyed, life-cycle complete.
The Portland death metal band honors the decades-old relationship between underground metal and independent horror. Bandcamp Album of the Day Aug 18, 2023