Freedom #1:

Freedom #1:

Eyes closed, fur on end,
fists clenched, thighs aquiver,
in darkness he stands, head thrown
back, cloven feet firmly apart, nostrils
lifted up to catch a memory of breeze.

In the centre of the I
is awareness the cycle is passes,
boats will arrive at the port
with the new season’s cargo
children forced to test luck’s fall
and pass through the maze —

not knowing
at its blackest heart is he

and though he wishes it were not so,
that he could find the strength to resist,
the truth is he craves the light so
that he will perform the act,
give them the blood,
honour the god and hope
one day he will gain release.

The beast, abandoned child,
son, lover who seeks an innocent’s blood;
he is them all, the bequeathed, the vanquished
the hero, the monstrous savage,

He is the labyrinth’s fulcrum, stands
in the night that never departs,
memories for companions,
death in all his deeds —

he is what we fear,
he is wretchedly us.