"Scorched Earth" is a military strategy invented by the Scythians, which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area.
as a final act of self-loathing
i will let my meat govern itself
and devour your meat
whole and complete
i will let my guilt rise and overwhelm me
i will let it drown and suffocate me
then i well forget the words
"drown" and "suffocate"
then i will forget all the other words that were said
then everything inside me will quiet down
and everyone around me will shut up
and in this silence
i will break
and stiffen up
as my heart learns to beat ever-so-slightly
and my lungs learn to live with half-the-air
but i will stop this,
i will find a way to stop this
and i will relish the pain.