The Smile

The Smile was sinister,
Landed on a mountain,
Spread (like all sinister smiles do)
Across the fertile plains,
Corroded and corrupted the crops,
Poisoned the wells,
Ate the clouds,
Disappeared up the skirts of women
And into the brains of men,
Etched ‘Fire’ on the walls of the houses
‘Fear’ on the foreheads of the children
‘Death’ on the flanks of the cattle
Withered the flowers
The bird-song
The smell of new mown hay

The Smile
Dropped with the rain
Blew in the cracks between stones
Grew with the roots of trees and their Sap
Chlorophyll
Branches
Swept through the orchards and into the fruit,
Curdled the love between
Maiden and man
Deformed all the children
Cursed the sun and took its light
Mirrored itself
On ideas of despair
Destruction
Wrong-doing,
Shut off God,
Instituted Babel-

The Smile was Happy
In its’ success,
Grinned
(Sinisterly)
Like all good smiles do

And watched the world burn.

5/5/00