Civilized (poetry)

~ M. Ashley

If the ill-formed shadow-mass of “the civilized”
drives your wild heart to rage and howl
you know it goes on beating.

Though deprived of the lucid heat
of blood-hunts in broad daylight
it stalks within itself and becomes

its own series of revelations—
its own wastes
its own benighted hollows.

The sheep’s clothes hang heavy
but the flocks still fear you sleeplessly—

your shadow-cast
causes their lambs to quiver.

-M. Ashley

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Published by M. Ashley

I am an essayist and poet. My work has been rejected by some of the finest journals in America. Fortunately, it also gets accepted from time to time and has appeared in equally fine journals such as Word Riot, Inlandia, Brew City Magazine, and SageWoman, among others.. In 2002, I won the Academy of American Poets Prize for Vanderbilt University.
 For no good reason, I possess an unnecessarily dark humor which is why being third generation California Inland Empirian delights me so. My gods are weird. I once won $350 for writing a smartassed essay on “why the wise use of water is important in my daily life”. I am undoubtedly the Greek god Hermes’ special snowflake. I’m pretty sure I got into college via a series of fortuitous clerical errors.
 When I had to grow up and get a real job, I decided against it and stayed a writer. I have worked many odd—and I mean odd—jobs to support my habit: PR writer for country music hopefuls, resume massager, WalMart fitting room attendant and switchboard operator, and telephone psychic, just to name a few.
 I am also albino. That's why my psychic gifts are so strong. I traded in my pigment for magical foresight, because that's how it works. It gets all technical. Trust me. That's totally how it works.

3 thoughts on “Civilized (poetry)”

  1. I love this one so much. Something about its holographic quality, offering different images depending on the angle and the light.

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    1. Thank you so much. This one was a surprise to me—buried in my files. I had completely forgotten about it. After I saw your comment, I read it again and see what you mean. Funny how sometimes it takes that outside perspective.

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