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The Knife and the Devil's Claw

The anger of a steely knife
In ambushing surprise
Cut to the quick the childish heart
That thought itself so wise

In humble supplication fell
The heart on bended knee
Entreating for the knife's redress:
"I'm innocent!" its plea.

But steel is not susceptible
To pleading from a heart
Especially when the supplicant
Is inept at the art

Instead, the blade slashed round about
In fury wrought from hell
Til on the blood-soaked battleground
The heart, defeated, fell.

Then, saturated with the red
Coagulating mess,
The ground brought forth a seedling
Borne of fear and hopelessness.

The seedling quickly grew into
A wretched wicked weed
With curling thorny needle barbs
A devil's claw, indeed!

The knife caught up the devil's claw
While slashing through the air
And rent it into pieces...
But it laughed, "As if I care!"

For as the evil pod was split
In twain, and twain once more,
Out from its womb of wickedness
Poured devil-seeds galore!

The moral of this sorry tale
Is clear as Newton's Law
For equal, though opposing, are
The knife and devil's claw!

Learn more about this author, Susan Dietrich.
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