Sonnet No. V:

Guillotine

©2010, Olan L. Smith

Sleep O' dreamer till dawn's early rising

Rouse not thy slumber but be thou stillness

Deep within thy sleeping, darkened harshness

A tiger's prey is thy terror's devising.

Like a stone crumbling— 'tis a strong clinging

Of roots of parasitic larcenous―

Blooming― insipidly piercing darkness,

Winding its way toward dreadful clouding;

Consensus is reached, and― thy fear increases,

No hood is offered for thy protection

To blind thy vision from guillotine's blade

Or from seeing basket for severed pieces;

Onlookers gather (a huge collection) ―

Thy still seeing member rolls down, betrayed.