Red Queens of the Black Hole

Every black hole has one, motionless
On the event horizon, running
At the speed of light. Only the truly

Giant wells of gravity swallow
These fated runners without remark,
Since it’s still so far down to their depths.

Stellar-mass holes tear them to pieces,
Or at least so you have to assume.
You don’t get to witness the tearing.

You see only see the echoing wraiths,
The apparently unchanging shells
Of the Red Queens as they must have been

In that split-fast forever before
The event horizon swallowed them.
This is an allegory, of course.

For what set of beliefs, you don’t know.
Your anthropomorphic characters
Will be matched with abstractions later.