9
an eagle & a whip
i.
the invisible noose around his neck / itches / the next place he’ll put a rope is around his wrists / tied to a bed of injustice / maybe a whip at his back / these games / they play are many roles played / at once / they / are just games / the winner gets a hundred dollars
ii.
in a field of grass, on some Midwestern plane,
an eagle sits with its legs cross like a gentlemen
in slim fitting nice slacks do, thigh pressing against
fabric, a display of meat
& overhead another kind of bird, a smaller bird
one that the eagle has seen before but never had
the courage to talk to, now approaches with its
piercing eye. it takes away the meaty thigh
& with a glance the other & they are soon
in an embrace.
iii.
he licks his lips the next day / his therapist tells him that it a sign of co-dependency / & at the word he shutters / but she can’t see it thru the tears / a master of disguise / the tears worth their weight in golden tan white bois / how they deceive the eye / even when the lid is shut
(Cont.)