Before the ‘clever’
hew-man
with his ‘reason’
and his LANGUAGE
made the great stag
stagger…
Before his agonizing
death throes
(life-force
wilfully
stagnated)
by the staggeringly
arrogant…
Before man
manifested
his ideas
and devices
for his stagnation
(manipulating staghounds,
staging ambush
after ambush
in the staggerbush…)
Before man’s
jealousies
prompted
sacrificial rituals
to be staged.
Before the drunken,
flesh-feasting
staggerers…
Before the poachers
of stagflation.
Before the death
toll rose
from fast cars,
bikes
and Stagecoach…
There was just
magnificent
…STAGNESS.
Heidi Stephenson
Illustration: Claire Palmer