man with a crying child in his lap
empathically meets the hollow eye sockets of the mother
who stole your sight, he asks
that embryo you’re holding, she hollers
and makes the woods tremble
steadily marching in flashy parades
values & anti-values join golden hands
electro-shocking the audience
i’m fixing to fix you all
comes a smothered promise
behind polymer clay walls
armies of little men struggle to grab big books
with the grip of wooden hands
let us forget the figures
ye merry gentlemen gathered here
for all we need are letters – Aleph
Addis Ababa
coats and ties now hanging loose
on fleshless frames
frantic hoorays of faceless appraisers
'material force must be overthrown by material force
but theory also becomes a material force
as soon as it has gripped the masses'
put me down
slowly
says the baby
raise me up
haw-haw somehow love alters
your sense of humor

* Swahili for "slowly"