How to Protect Your Home
“There had not been this many words sounded in our house for a long time, and it was going to take a while to clean them out” - Shirley Jackson
It’s no longer enough to nail father’s gold watch chain to a tree
To bury coins and blue marbles in the creek bed
Baby teeth planted only dragons know where
No the Words must now change daily No Repeats
Must never be spoken aloud
Yesterday was TURQUOISE ELLIPSIS PORTABELLA
And additional barriers must be built
Monitored reinforced
Crucifying a book is a beginning
But you also need to start curating a new kind of kindling
To scatter it on the intruder’s linens To feed his embers
To smash the biggest mirror in the house
Kill all the familiar faces trapped inside
Because to truly protect your castle
You must be willing to risk gutting it roof razed
Attic a sodden museum
All forty-four of Uncle’s chapters published as ashes
Windows stoned figurines shattered
Mother’s harp toppled
Yes in the end you may be forced to let all the intruders in
To run riot on your turrets and battlements
Let them think they broke your harp and won
You may have to sleep some nights beside the stream
Slink shadows with black paws pink pads
But as long as you have
Constance you can reclaim your castle
Inventory your preserves build better thicker barricades
Repair your magic till it’s strong again
In time you’ll laugh to see the cruelest intruders
Become your humblest patrons
If they leave words on the stoop burn them in your stove for warmth
If they leave you eggs and frosted cakes let them supplement
The pumpkin pies and mushrooms you are learning to grow on the moon
Daniel Hales
Daniel Hales' hybrid book, Run Story, is forthcoming any day now from Shape&Nature Press. He is also the author of three poetry chapbooks, most recently, Shake My Ashes. I play in 2 bands: The frost heaves and hales. and The Ambiguities. I also have a recording side-project called Umbral, and our debut album, Predawn To Postdusk, was released by Spork Press in April.