Grifter

Each night as I crawl along Over the sands I sift through the blood and the fog Head in my hands I make my way over the dunes Desolate and dry The remnants of empires past Too stubborn to die Morbid and familiar Each hill like the last The grifter's importunate hand An insatiable grasp Whispering in semaphore Pious and vain Surrounded by sycophants Withered and gray He promises deliverance Day after day Releasing only pestilence And festering decay