Slipping I slipped deeper
on every word you spoke,
caught up in the letters
like giants and their fingers
pinioned and pyloned
at the edges of my reason,
they made a fence
around my certainty.
Territorial of territory
you deemed dangerous
you became guard dog
reversed.
All teeth and snarl
when I made to leave.
Or maybe that was me
biting the hand
at my collar…
Carol J Forrester 
I especially liked this polyptoton: “Territorial of territory” right at the center of the poem.
I also like the ending which makes the reader wonder who was biting. And the thought of having “a fence
around my certainty”.
Beautiful.
Biting the hand at my collar… love the play on the idiom there… a great twist.
Great use of polyptotons, Carol, and a painful read for those of us who have been in a relationship with a controlling partner. I like the twist in the ending and the phrase ‘biting the hand at my collar’.
Type A narcissists come in both sexes and all colors. You rocked the prompt, and gave a clear message…be true to thy self.
Wow! This has such an amazing ending….”biting the hand at my collar” —-
You became a guard dog reversed….
These words really speak of a disturbing relationship.
Nice writing! Really like the twist.
I particularly liked these lines:
you became guard dog
reversed.
All teeth and snarl
when I made to leave.
It is just like that, where a fence is made around certainty and the teeth are turned.
powerful poem!
Speaks eloquently of the controlling lover. Well said.
Very nice take on the prompt! Sometimes we do bite the hand that feeds us!!
like giants and their fingers
pinioned and pyloned
at the edges of my reason,
Oooo! I love this poem and your gorgeous use of simile!
Well done!
Yes! Well done!
Wonderful last line. This is such a perfect description of the impossibility of engaging with reasonable unreasoning – frustrating, infuriating and potentially very frightening. Impressive.