Third Place Winner, June 2008 InterBoard Poetry Competition

Poetry

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Poetry

InterBoard Poetry Competition

Third Place Winner, June 2008

OUTWITTING YOUR ANGELS *Dave Mehler* (TheCriticalPoet.com) Use every animal ferocity be fierce as fire lovely fire they are made of and as willful use blood cunning fear shrewdly corporeal rightly and against them. They will not expect it either hate or applaud you. You require oxygen fuel sheltering sleep, you change in time– alien, they do not–but twinned to you nonetheless. Use that. Be the compact wolverine squat underestimated harried by hunter pursued across tundra over rises who turns and charges knock him off his high loud horse the snowmobile his white wings over cloud froze high even before he can pull rifle from sheath stare him down unscratched unbitten till he will not no cannot shoot you even in war as you turn away make him admire you ashamed of himself. Be a virus relentless soulless machinelike repetitive producing like kind impervious fruitful godlike and love strange like that–no antibody will withstand no death touch you for long. Certain light heat lightning hot white quick or black black black he will shapeshift he you the muddy cornered pooch pathetic you a mutt pup pissing down your leg neck up back down saying here take it always outnumbered outgunned before you were born unable unchosen without gift of speech a vague dream a bark a whimper only canine teeth no power of thought really no imagination as it should be truly understood they understand yet know in the Presence even they must cover their faces with haughty wings still they superhuman cry they other laugh hear music you must be deaf to you uncomprehending sniff the air circular back leg scratch at an itch unreachable only skin deep. But think remember did He identify with did He die for them? He outwitted he became the wedge between you kyrie kyrie to your angel eleison you must look weak must but the secret is weak is the weapon they in hoary anger mirror horrible harbinge dark ancient awe guests, unwished for, unanimal yes the doorway you put off opening the facade hot cool cool hot layered the dog dressed up like death but you couldn’t know didn’t imagine death and everything you lost every buried bone come back to greet you. Judge Patricia Smith’s comments: “The relentless meter, the urgency, the unyielding pulse of this poem was immediately addictive. I was hooked on its inevitability, the way it hurtled toward an ending that left me me short of breath.”


About the InterBoard Poetry Competition Archive of IBPC Winners Honorable Mentions, June 2008