Member-only story
Curtain Call
I watched one man kill another,
forced to draw a sword and uncork
some red wet to grout the tiles.
That is us — the givers and takers of orders.
In a world that makes us afraid,
we are worth being afraid of.
Not everyone can do it, but enough
of us have to, less of us need to,
fewest of us want to, and we often take
our leave without the chance to prove
for whom we caucus at night.
Eventually, some get what they deserve
but not before consuming others
like a match that only surrenders when
the entire house is warm with flame.
In the meantime — let us fill the buckets
with rain, watch the mosquito larvae molt
beneath the two-way mirrors, born
hungry and ready to flee from all the fire.
© Trapper Markelz 2020
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