They do not graze in meadows.
Nor do they stare listlessly
over fences at traffic .
None , to my knowledge ,
are brindled or patchwork .
Few , if any , have horns
or tails to swish flies with .
I have never heard one moo .
Nor been charged by one
when I crossed its path .
They may see red
but are little sought after
by toreadors .
Yet they are big .
And they do pack a bite.
Ever had a fear
so big
you lost the power
of your legs
reserves all gone
depleted
your yabbering heart
quite unseated
you’re miniscule
so small
the wolf
skyscraper tall
nothing to do
but await
till the fear
obliterates.
Could be your ex
a confined space
the wolf wears many
a different face
Remain steady
stare don’t start
just you, yourself
& yr red riding hood heart.
*pic from Pinterest by Kings-Wu
We were holed up under the same roof, two people who couldn’t stand each other. And we had the whole night to spend in the same one bedroom flat. I took the lounge, she took the bed; we didn’t even say goodnight. We were murderous to each other. I could feel the old Minotaur in the labyrinth of my brain, gearing up for a rumble. But there could have been blood. Pray, I say, pray, don’t let her taunt me. I was scared of myself more than her. The Minotaur was raging. Just then the door opened
Back and forth the fly darts across the windscreen like black thoughts inside my head, floaters before my eyes, distracting my driving. It won’t get out. I’ll fix you, I say as I pull in the driveway, wind the windows up and pump in the fly spray, the little Nazi inside me quite pleased with itself.
Summer-times I grow feral
Shed my suit of civility
& head into the backyard
Where I pee like an animal
But that saccadic screech
From the crab apple tree
& razor-winged birds flashing by
Threatening life and limb
& certain other appendages
Send me scurrying back
Where I l lift the lid & pee inside
Like polite people do.
It looked like it would stomp any minute
trumpeting in terror from being woken
after all these years.
What had we done?
What if it went berserk?
Trampled on our good intentions?
Pooped all over the room?
[Have you ever seen elephant poo?]
Or, worse, collapsed on one of us like a slab
Of cement?
John Malone 