wreath

the wreath on the door across the street
had a firey red tail
which was wind blown and fluttering like a flag gone loco
the cop in the patrol car didn't care
he saw a shadowy figure whose overcoat
was undone while he tried to break the lock
which he was bent over
working fast against the cold
it was the end of everything
and everyone who had muscle was flexing them madly
the tension
even in the middle of the night that happened to be new year's eve
and was conspicuously silent and deserted
was palpable
everyone even the stray dogs were under its spell
as they cowered slinking from shadow to shadow
fear was skin deep
touched off by the merest side glance
of a stranger neighbor or friend
it was as if we all suddenly realized
that we did not trust even our most trusted allies
and only the continuous wars with foreign enemies
all of whom were brown
made any sense and gave us all relief from the iminent
and intimate betrayals that surrounded us
like mine fields