Parasite

For the writer's cramp competition.

You never feel the tick burrowing
It's burred furry teeth into your neck
Nor the sting of the mosquito until
It has flown unchecked

Yet that moment a friend, the one
Whom you love
Dearer and dearer than dear
To behold
Turns, in a whisper, "She's a right cow,
A savage beast, I hate her right now."
To her new friend
That's when you snap

And under the smile,
You whisper right back
Words that are laced
With a poisonous tact

"You know she's just playing, expounding
Her fears
She's dearer and dearer than tears
To me
I wonder if you've ever had a friend like that?"
To this new friend
That's when you snap

Turns out the friends
You thought dearer than dear
Tear at your heart
And bite at your ear

Alas, it is time to move on with your life
To pull that tick out and slap down on the fly
The mosquito may buzz around in the night
But a friend to a friend is always polite.

Goodbye.