I had an inkling when I came
home from Viet Nam
that we were not so different
that here, just as there
darkness is not far away
outside the wall
under the floor
behind the looking glass
patient
but never really gone
held at bay
by daylight
and goodwill
it waits for the ice to melt
the mirror to shatter
or the ground to shift
and crack the plastered walls
insinuating through the
tiniest weakness
a master of disguise
and false argument
I saw it yesterday
at Alice’s Restaurant
drinking dark tea
fashionably dressed
in brand new camo gear
wearing open-carry lipstick
with a nicely accessorized
look-at-me assault rifle
and singing “God Bless America”
Marv Himmel
January 7, 2016 ©