by Phyllis Wax
The flaming eyes of night
hard red tears
whistle in the dark
Untamed the bear lumbers
into a place he doesn’t belong
run, run
hide in the cellar
cracks his knuckles
swats to rubble what’s in his path
grab your children
hide
Enraged by the thorns
he upends roses
tears the petals from their faces
brushes aside twittering complaints
Belching smoke
he strews bricks
scatters bones
Far away the mighty eagle puffs himself up
flaps his wings, opens
his toothless mouth
thinks he can spit
and paste the petals back on
When she is not riding her bike along the shore of Lake Michigan, Phyllis Wax keeps up with the news in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. Most recently she has been published in Out of Line, Free Verse, Wisconsin Poets' Calendar and The New Verse News.
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