Canto IV
Mark sat in barricade
Within a bedroom, bolted
Unexpected
Thunder blared;
A violent mind exalted
Yes, doctor, a whisper
Chattered from below Fort.
Discretely,
Yet directly,
Crept some voices, so Mark thought.
Careful, careful,
My dear brother,
Slithered Steve
From behind.
If they take you
They will break you
And I too;
Keep in mind
They could not force his leave
So Mark assured,
Too strong, brothers would grieve
That the Earth collapse
And swallow them whole
Blood so thick cannot be sieved
But, surely must be relieved
Patience, patience,
Mark, of great kings,
Cackled Steve
From above.
Feel, carefully,
The steps of bile
Fearfully
Strain a thud.
 
Thud, thud, thud.
Marcus?
A voice shod.
Mark flared,
Back against the only window
Steve glared,
Shaken more than his grimace told
Thud thud thud.
And for a moment,
Their two minds connected
As by divine ascension
Knowingly, assuring the other
That a certain connection
Cradled one another
Mark lowered the beam
And unclasped the lock
He jimmied the nails
And rolled back the stock
He unwedged the blocks
And loosened the knot
Turning the handle
And unloading his shot
In stepped the palest creature
With the countenance of a wolf
Yet, the façade of a criminal
And the mercy of a careening rock
He adjusted his spectacles
And indicated to his coat
Announcing his authority
And excusing his dreary gloat
His teeth glanced at each leer
From ear to ear,
Eye to eye
This snidely snouzer
And snivelling snout,
Wall to wall,
From front to back
Criticised every tack
With great interest, Steve nudged
Mark raged furious; Steve tugged
“This is the boy?” the snouzer shrilled
In a tone most chilling
To a mother most willing
To answer the snouzer’s snap.
“Yes, doctor,” Ms Farebell cringed,
Fearing reaction
Of her transaction
“Marcus, doctor; doctor, Marcus”
Her hair fizzled,
Pigments shrivelled
“Doctor, Steve; Steve, dogma”
Marcus added quick
With a lisp of trick
The doctor scalded the earth
And scaled the ceiling;
His expression was worth
All joyous things
“I believe I see,”
Remarked the quack
No sooner had he
Retorted to attack
“So Marcus, thee
Should be free
But the mind conspires
To raison oblige;
For no reality
Should receive
Such generosity
As thy fraternity;
One body, one mind
Can be broken
From time to time
And one boy,
May believe
There are two:
The one who is he,
And he who is you.”
But Mark did not comprehend
And Steve felt ignored
When mother Farebell explained
No charity, she adorned:
“Marcus, I am overcome,”
Causing Steve to near,
“That the brother you have known,”
So Steve did fear,
“Is a figment, trauma sewn,”
Ran Mother Farebell’s tear