If Dogs Should Come
by Bill Yarrow
if dogs should come
do not run
do not turn
do not fall down
keep even pace
face front
don't stop
be deaf to danger
outrage
anger
make secrets of your steps
don't run
make silence with yourself
no screams
decelerate your breathing
reprove the heart
for beating fast
admonish silly gasps
it is the air
cold at your eyes
night by your arms
fear in your veins
keep pace
face front
the pinching blackness
will not rend you
the tearing barking
cannot maim you
the awful silence
will not eat you
your sacred body
cannot die
I'm right there, facing fears. love it through the pounding of my heart. fav
The absence of punctuation makes this piece work. Gives it room. And, using the chopped line creates patterns of caesura that effective to the voice. I like this voice, Bill. Nice work.
"Your sacred body cannot die." Excellent, Bill.
Yes. I like this one very much, Bill.
Like this a lot, especially "the awful silence will not eat you." Chills!
..the tearing barking..striking image that leaps out and pays off.
"To wear your heart on your sleeve isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best":)
* favs
This is a dream of a first published poem. In style it may suggest an earlier form, yet in spirit it could hold for a lifetime. *
Thanks, Ann, for your kind and cheering words.