The Beast Within

With its eyes like cauldrons
brimming with molten lava
It looks at me
searing holes in my soul,
Its tongue like a provoked viper
lashes out at me spewing poison
Its claws hold my heart
in a vise-grip and keep squeezing
Its shadow falls across my life
imbuing it with melancholy
that I am not quite able 
to shrug off
Pushing me into an
existential realm of despair
Triggering chaos
Eroding trust
Dragging me into
the abyss of moral oblivion
As I am unable to rein in
my straying thoughts;
 
My carnal cravings,
like relentless waves
lashing the shores,
tear asunder
my rocky resolves
into soft sand.