CATHERINE HEALY

Metrical Res

Begin slowly, awkwardly,
pausing arbitrarily
and at line breaks,
stumbling over the longer words:
scintillate, sidereal, onomatopoetic.

The music won't flow
properly. The sound won't carry
and you will fear that your voice has been stolen
by the tiny demons who dwell behind your throat.

They have taken it before.
They will not get it this time.

Because this is the important thing.
To keep reading. To stumble and stop
on every syllable, to fight the rhythm,
until suddenly the hurdles fall,
carrying you with them. Reading badly
is the first step.

copyright 2003 CATHERINE HEALY

MICHAEL MIKUS

Where Fear Stands at the End

You must remove the evil from within
To purify your soul away from sin.
The heart will bleed, where fear stands at the end.
 
The mind corrupt will never heal or mend
And no one understands deceit of him.
You must remove the evil from within.
 
Your soul found lost within the blood will send
False messages to cloud the brain path dim.
The heart will bleed, where fear stands at the end.
 
Projected will with fierce desire can blend
The heart and mind to focus free from them.
You must remove the evil from within.
 
Soft voices, spoken silently mad bend
Clear minds, and twist full length snug souls stretched thin.
The heart will bleed, where fear stands at the end.
 
Hearts broken, scattered stones; spirit flesh will mend
And demons rage, proclaiming you their kin—
You must remove the evil from within.
The heart will bleed, where fear stands at the end.

copyright MICHAEL MIKUS

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