Lurid, garish, gash
rended creature struggles to rise, to
run with dripping belly
Blood making everything more real
pounds in the spearthruster’s arm as in
the gunman’s neck the offhand
moment--Now!--before he
takes the bastards out

Splendor in black and ochre on a grecian urn
Beauty as truth
The sea as background
stricken with black long-oared ships
on shore chariots shields greaved muscled legs
horses rearing Beauty! flesh before gangrene

Mind-shifting gods rush back and forth Delusion
a daughter seized by the hair swung out to bewilder men
Everything here is conflictual and is called man’s fate

Ugly glory: open-eyed wounds
feed enormous flies
Hoofs slicken on bloodglaze

Horses turn away their heads
weeping equine tears
Beauty?
a wall with names of the fallen
from both sides passionate objectivity.