Backstabbing for Beginners

It's an act
of spiritual violence,
more art than science,
but worthy of precision;
this is no mission of mercy.

It's best to
avoid dead center.
Blades straight to the spine
make for short and unsatisfying work;
suffering should bloom like a bloodflower.

This, however, is not
to say that one should stray
recklessly near the shoulderblades.
Hands should frantically claw in
vain and fail to grasp their torment.

Then, and only when, the
merciless venal mind is sated,
the hatred dulled and faded,
may the coup de grâce be served
with a final thrust and twist.

Backstabbing for Beginners