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FACE TO FACE

Face to face I saw the beast
Moving to the south and east
Down the streets of Santa Fe.
Marked police cars cleared the way.
Flashing lights of red and white
Pierced the darkness of the night
Both in front and from the rear.
He that hath an ear, let him hear.

In the dark the beast had come
From where they build atomic bombs.
On its back it carried drums
Laden with plutonium:
Namesake of the underworld.
Men and women, boys and girls
Watched in sorrow, filled with tears.
He that hath an ear, let him hear.

On the shoulder people stood
Who would have killed it if they could,
But none of them could even go
Near enough to strike a blow,
For as the curséd beast drew near,
State police in riot gear
Paralyzed them all with fear.
He that hath an ear, let him hear.

Reporters came from out of state
But could not get the story straight.
They hoped that we had planned
To make a futile martyr’s stand
And be shot down by armed police
Or trampled underneath the beast
For the story of the year.
He that hath an ear, let him hear.

All the prior forty days,
Not for blame and not for praise,
Witnesses had testified,
Saints and angels prophesied,
Warning that the time was near.
They knew the beast would soon appear.
They gave their proof, they made it clear.
He that hath an ear, let him hear.

Some will hear, but not believe
A state would ever so deceive
That prides itself on rule of law.
I only tell you what I saw.
The state will not display its force
Unless it has no other course,
And only then the beast appears.
He that hath an ear, let him hear.

Canton, New York, 1999