V. C. McCabe
We terrain curious coves
Escherian in architecture.
Wolves in sheepskin circle
an abstract nest:
cranes—in metamorphosis—
elegant feathers flex & flux,
evolving into origami, paper
wings catching flame, melting
into metallurgy, monstrous steel
jaws clutching fiery coals, molten
earth held high in hellish heaps
—Gehennaean immolation.
We gazelle nightmare plains
Kafkaesque in autocracy
in the guise of meritocracy
& mind-numbing mediocrity.
Skeletal spectres stand, cloaked
in red, their ominous bones
guarding stone-carved arch-ways
in front of bricked up doorways.
Nails impale their pale brows,
suspending pendulous masks—
redundant blinders for eyes
sewn shut with their own skin.
***
V.C. McCabe is the author of Give the Bard a Tetanus Shot (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press, 2019). Her work has appeared in exhibits and journals worldwide, including Poet Lore, Prairie Schooner, The Minnesota Review, Five:2:One, Queen Mob’s Tea House, and Barren Magazine. Her website is vcmccabe.com.