The American Poetry Review

COPY OF A ROMAN COPY OF A GREEK ORIGINAL

I.

Carrying his toy guitarthe boy-god laughing looks awaythe bees climb the columns] stone bees on stone columns [the head of Hercules inside the mouth of the lionhe killed the lion hewears the head as a hood his eyes look outhis mouth ] is he carrying my wife askshis penis in his hand no I saythat’s his club [ is his broken clubfear cannot forget itself once the marble memorizes fear] gorgon logic [ the motionprecedent hairswept back by the violent turnof the heads looking back at what horrorpursues them boy’s twin-sister, his mothertheir mouths open I think they arescreaming ] but I hear no scream [toddler-apollo is laughing and the laughsounds like footsteps on the granite stairs going up likeI know the pollen being gathered is dust like I knowwhen I turn my head to the monster chasing usI am staring at the wall

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