Holy Wild, Poetry & Music

body politic | A Sonnet

body politic

noun : (1) human organ of many heads ;
tongues swarming from them [ as in, unison
of insects
] ; hands, tangled beds of nails on
which to rest evenly so as to spread
weight, pressure without injury : (2) threat
posed by ground swellings ; manifestation
of projected intent to harm [ as in,
the body of our enemy is dead,
but not his intention
] : (3) the myth of
history (archaic) [ ‘twas his own love
that killed this shepherd, not our need to kill,
and we remain innocent
] ; public will ;
institutionally anointed gore
to ensure death passes over our door

This poem was originally published in 21 Stars Review, No. 4, in February 2007

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