Albert Russo

Atavism

the sight of a burnt-down car
wrenches a howl out of his clutched jaws
a raucous primeval howl
which is the genesis of fear
ashen as our planet
atter the big bang

and the stench of molten rubber
grips him by the lungs
the unrelenting howl
reverberates in his bones
as it suddenly hollowed out ...
hollowed out ... hollowed out

a myriad sparkles illuminate his mind
then at once the history of mankind unfurls,
thrust upon him,
deaf to the miseries of the heart
oblivious to the lament of the flesh

it is written there, as a testament
to our collective memory
that no one shall escape IT
no matter how it is disguised
whether through the mask of hypocrisy
or the smirk at our great cynics

and there will always be
a burnt-down car
to remind us of our collision course
with the ultimate unifier
yet, we still need
the judeo-christian-islamic bogeyman
to brandish IT betore our eyes lest we forget

and whoever claimed
that faith was an exercise in futility
equating the love at God
with the sentiment ot guilt?