The following poems are from Black Forest: Feminism, Fascism, and Fairy Tales, a book manuscript of poetry, short fiction, biographical verse, and poetic memoir braiding 20th century history, 21st century politics, and German folklore.
Semaphores
Myriad lies and
unhinged manifests
smoke and stutter
He bends the light
to his will
scrambles frequencies
blows fuses and
throws collective
reasoning away
We watch
plagues of hatred
sicken the masses
hiding behind
silence
hands clutching
pestilent throats
Betrayed
by our own
ersatz questions
we wait
for the pounding
that breaks doors
and hearts
Once Upon a Time in Berlin: Thea von Harbou
Day after day
I inject the paradigm
of sacrifice
into the nation’s
bony arm, the gods’ vaccine
that makes martyrdom,
the immunity that comforts generations
in the midst of suffering,
seated before a large white screen.
I measure carefully--
not too subtle, not too sad--
gradually giving them
a lethal dose
of Make Germany Great Again.
Linda Scheller is the author of Fierce Light, a FutureCycle Press book of prize-winning poetry in the imagined voices of 36 historic women. Her poetry, plays, and nonfiction have appeared in The Inflectionist Review, Poetry East, Hawai'i Pacific Review, Plays, Entropy, Notre Dame Review, Poem, and The American Journal of Poetry, among other publications. Her website is lindascheller.com.
Semaphores
Myriad lies and
unhinged manifests
smoke and stutter
He bends the light
to his will
scrambles frequencies
blows fuses and
throws collective
reasoning away
We watch
plagues of hatred
sicken the masses
hiding behind
silence
hands clutching
pestilent throats
Betrayed
by our own
ersatz questions
we wait
for the pounding
that breaks doors
and hearts
Once Upon a Time in Berlin: Thea von Harbou
Day after day
I inject the paradigm
of sacrifice
into the nation’s
bony arm, the gods’ vaccine
that makes martyrdom,
the immunity that comforts generations
in the midst of suffering,
seated before a large white screen.
I measure carefully--
not too subtle, not too sad--
gradually giving them
a lethal dose
of Make Germany Great Again.
Linda Scheller is the author of Fierce Light, a FutureCycle Press book of prize-winning poetry in the imagined voices of 36 historic women. Her poetry, plays, and nonfiction have appeared in The Inflectionist Review, Poetry East, Hawai'i Pacific Review, Plays, Entropy, Notre Dame Review, Poem, and The American Journal of Poetry, among other publications. Her website is lindascheller.com.
