Cliff Burns | Deathless

Deathless

the bust of Nefertiti
as stylized and overtly
++++complimentary as it may be
(pity the artist who dared render her
as she truly was)
still manages to convey the impression
of a regal, powerful woman
standing shoulder to shoulder
with her divinely appointed husband
wise counsel to his intrigues
a sublime figure in her own right
see how they’ve granted the queen
++++a room of her own
forbidden intrusive photographs
tasteless gawkers
insisting on her dignity
four thousand years after Anubis
++++gathered her up
spiriting her off to the underworld
far from the burning sun
her castle in the sand

*****

Prophet

when you can kill
++++an entire village
with a careless wave
++++++of your hand

and the child soldiers
stoned out of their heads
++++surge forward
screaming their adherence
++++to the cult of ever
++++++lasting

++++death

and the man in the
Italianmade suit with
+gold cufflinks
++++++old school tie
++++tall and pinkfaced

in the dining room
of the last
remaining hotel
+++in the capital

affixes his name
or maybe presses his
+thumb or
++++scans his
+++++++retina

to facilitate
the transfer of
+++untraceable funds

just for the sake
of some precious ore
+++rare as human kindness

a bloody handshake

so you can
+++press a button
+++find anything you desire
++++++be it treasure or trinket

and all it costs
is a bargain with the Devil

yes, the kind of person
+who can massacre an
++++entire village
++++++++with a motley army
++++++of brokenferal children

and then have
the audacity
+++to live
+to a ripe old age

*****

Poems: Cliff Burns
Image: joey-zhou Unsplash remixed