Condom

Protector, public defender, religious fanatic,
Cure for piety, tell us our fate, rid us of anxiety,
The church bells have rung, 
There has come among us the ghostly one
To haunt our age, love's plague runs the body dry,
And none wish their children to die,
So strange a plague upon us---
The tears of the body bring disease---
Sheath, linen skirt, strapless gown,
Victoria's secret that we shall scream all over town,
Pauper, sir, cover us with leaves. The nation grieves.
Save the soul. Be birth control, 
Without malice, thin red cap, glove, mitt, spare us from disease,
Animal skin, tiger, humming bird's tongue, dog, please,
Thin transparent snakeskin, miracle worker, stark napkin,
No matter your manners coarse or neat. Do we sin so sweet?
Revolutionist, wild naked rebel, rock singer and 
					comic skeptic virtuoso,
Believer in the nextworld, papal parchment, no place to hide.
Horsehide, horsefeathers, jimmy, glove, magic ruby slippers,
Save us from the brutal  war of tenderness and affections.
The leper's flesh is sweetest. The poison waters flood the world
And all thirst and so temptation. We stand much 
					in need of inspiration. 

Ernest Slyman


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