Never allow yourself
to lay down, belly up,
exposed and vulnerable
right in front of others..
except in cases
when you know for certain
that they are
the people of your tribe.

Be on your guard,
for, what they hold
behind their back
may not be
quite the loving belly rub
that you were hoping for..
they might, instead,
just take a gutting to you
with their sharpened knife.

The stab that hurts the most
is not the one that lands
upon your back.
Rather, it is the one
that comes from those
who claim to be
the strongest allies on your side..
the one delivered
to your belly mercilessly..
right as they stare you down,
directly in the eye.