"Fascist Architecture"
whispered to me that is would be
a song of scathing commentary
on the forces of political repression
or the silent fascism
of a regime that
equates shopping
with freedom.

But something was wrong.
He was singing the mirror
but it was facing the wrong direction.

I recognized the buildings.
I’d built them myself.
The ramparts and the towers were mine.
I built them.
I patrol them,
marching back and forth
in the dark,
defending them against foes,
imagined
and
imagined.

I’ve sung a lot
of his songs
to different audiences,
to my friends,
to my girls at bedtime.

I won’t sing this one
until I can.