Tongue of the Asp

The chisel-tongued asp
Chipped away at her quarry
No one, whether limestone or granite, marble or
Glass could have withstood the barrage
Year after year

Came a time
A glance of her serpentine eye
Set the poor thing to tremble
Dust would fall from
Cracks in its fascia
Left by the last onslaught

And its diminishment
Begins anew

First there’s the squint
Then the frown
The cavernous mouth
Opens just sooo
The tongue whips
And verbiage spews
Its acid lands splat
On the old stone face

Another knick in the chin
From the serpent’s bladed mouth

A careful observer
Might perceive
Shock on the face of the asp
As vitriol erupts from her core

She’s surprised
At the virulence of her venom
“Oh did I do that?”
She asks in amazed satisfaction
Seeing the enemy’s face
Melted and marked
Crumpled and aged
By day to day
Casual conversation