I come in the night, no concept of time, vanish with dawn, and fill you with fright.

Hidden underground, I dig without a sound, but on a chemist's table, my weight is found.

I am a lord under the earth, I am a dwarf above it. I have five icy children who, circled in my arms, I covet. I once shared my family’s title but have been stripped of my worth; discriminated by my size and position of my birth.

I cover your work to prevent its removal. I could be a creature, or a sign of approval.

I can heal, I can peel, I breathe and I can rot and pucker. I can be marked, I can be cut, I can be stitched. I envelope so much.