Alt Lit and Rape Culture - testimony (the first apocalypse) - Marty McConnell

After reading "testimony (the first apocalypse)," by Marty McConnell, I just couldn't get it out of my head: the sinister atmosphere, the "willing" and their desire to be "chosen," and the implication that violence waits for all of us. --SBB

testimony (the first apocalypse)

A:          Once upon a time, there was a creature

with the face of a bear and the body

of a lizard. Could swim

and climb trees, shake

the young cubs by the loose scruff

at the back of their necks.

The creature loved the sun.

Afternoons it would find

a broad rock and lie there, gleaming.

But soon the heavy, furry head

would begin to sweat. So the creature

licked its claws and torso and tufted

head with a broad and cooling tongue,

and ambled off to a shady bed.

B:         Once upon a time, there was a creature

with the face of a bear and the body

of a lizard. Could swim and climb trees,

shake the young cubs by the loose scruff

at the back of their necks like a mother.

How marvelous its skin was, tough and shining

in places. The creature loved the sun.

Afternoons it would find a broad rock

and lead the willing there to watch it gleam.

But soon the heavy, furry head would begin

to sweat. Reluctant to abandon

this perfect spot, the creature

asked who among the cubs

cooling themselves

would be willing to bring it

a drink. All the willing were willing

so it chose among the oldest. Such

a fine job it did bringing the water,

the creature offered some creature

wisdom, querying My dear, what kind

of creature do you want to be? And the sun

and the rock did not look away

as the cubs kept dozing in the shade, their long fur

moving sweetly with their breathing.

C:         Once upon a time, there was a creature

with the face of a bear and the body

of a lizard. Could swim and climb trees,

shook the young cubs by the loose scruff

at the back of their necks like a mother

or rough cousin. How marvelous

its skin was, tough and shining

in places, and bright teeth

shown only to keep the wolves away.

Most of all, the creature loved the sun.

Afternoons it would find a broad rock

and lead the willing there

to watch it gleam. But soon

the heavy, furry head would begin

to sweat. Reluctant to abandon

this sought-after spot, the creature

asked who among the cubs

cooling themselves in its shadow

would be willing to bring it

a drink. All the willing were willing

so it chose among the oldest, the one

with the most luxurious coat. Such

a fine job it did bringing the drink, over

and over, the creature offered

it a secret. Do you want

to know the secret, it asked.

Yes, the willing answered,

yes tell me the secret. The secret

isn’t told, the creature said. The secret

is given. And with that licked

the willing’s furred paw with a broad

tongue, the hair coming away

in clumps. The secret hurts a little,

the willing said, not pulling away

the paw. But look what’s underneath

said the creature, pausing

for another swig. What kind of creature

do you want to be? And the sun

and the rock did not look away

and the cubs kept dozing

in the shade, their long fur

moving with their breathing,

knowing someday they too

would be ready, brighter, chosen.

Have something to say? Email comments, questions, responses, and links to relevant articles and literature elsewhere to: rapeculture.and.altlit [at] gmail [dot] com. For the original call for submissions, see here. To read all the essays and poems in the series, click here. 

Poet and educator/coach Marty McConnell lives, works, and teaches in Chicago, Illinois. Find more at www.martyoutloud.com.