Unicorn

by David Blalock

Great Unicorn with head held low,
Still damning its own power,
In self-defense, its horn aglow,
Will trod a newborn flower.

Magnificent in stance and flight,
Ferocious when aroused,
Will not deny or shun the sight
Of soul in lusting doused.

Without control of leash or rein,
A juggernaut of raw life;
And only through great effort sane
Enough to see the gilt knife
Whose edge it trods with every breath
Meaning ego's life or death.

Author's Note:
I have written a series of poems around the Arabic image of the unicorn: winged and black. It represents the baser instincts in man in a way that is not conveyed by the more western unicorn. Although westerners allow that the nature of the beast can only be tamed by the innocence of a virgin, they do not address the why of that assertion. I have tried to capture that reason in these poems.

E-mail:jrlthran@memphisonline.com