I.
hear the clink clank sizzle and the
frantic taptaptap;
the smith shop works overtime
(we’re always caught off guard, un
prepared,
we’ll be prepared this time,
we’re prepared for this)

II.
count off,
a one two three
a one two three four five six
a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand;
there’s a rotten apple within the mix,
black to the core, twisted, grotesque,
sink your teeth into it and it’ll bite your tongue off instead.

III.
troopers gather, here’s the plan:

we’ll jump onboard the speeding train;
target’s on the last one at midnight, mid
way across the Atlantic-
or was it the Pacific?
(how would I know I’m not a geographer)
(who has the map give it here)
(oh god oh god oh god)
(christ, calm down!)

IV.
change of plans,
here’s what we’ll do instead:

we’ll set off in glow-in-the-dark hot air balloons,
raze the night sky in neon shades
of blinding yellow blue pink and green

it’s a race against the clock, raze against the crock -
if we’re victorious we’ll float home in the glow of the red dawn.