The images of fear are the sum and substance
of that which failed to kill our forefathers:
raging behemoths, fanged elegances,
the tiny whip-tailed scorpion, the great serpent.
Systematically section the medulla oblongata
to obtain these embedded bilateral symmetries,
the stylized grotesques which must be kept at bay.

My father’s rage failed to kill me;
hence it is unassuageable.
Secure the perimeter, protect the loved ones,
maintain the structure, and never sleep:
this keeps the dread leviathan at bay.

June 26, 1996

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