Lurid - vivid - memorable! This:
Twelve moons greased away,
still, you growl in a red mask,
toothpicks pop a heart.
Wow!
My husband at age 5 had a nightmare about a toothpick stabbing an apple. An apple. But after reading this, I see why that image stayed with him for 50+ years and counting!
Yes, maybe that apple was his little heart?