Truly the Beast is among us.

It has settled among us not so subtly

As we watch wary or dumbfounded,

By turns inimical or cheering as we would

A ballgame or a boxing ring. It consumes

Our humblest as our best. We lack

The virtue to resist its allure of movement

Or speed. Seduced by its eyes, we see

Ourselves in their depths—How we can

Condemn others to believe in its

Maneuverings and artifice, how it calls us

To follow its dance to the abyss—

Each time our resolve melts. No one

Passes the test. With lesser and lesser

Hints, we begin to resemble each other,

No matter how we dissemble or betray

Each. The blood spatters us as we

Squirm in our seats, and no matter how

We might bleach our benches.

We have become what we most feared.

We revel in each other’s mangling.

 

12 November 2016

​

​

​