Death By Manatee

An “Angel of the Odd” curiosity provokes The Angel of Death is more welcome than he Wine bottles in a keg? What is it this angel smokes? “The narrator’s house,” says Poe with wicked glee Things are never as they seem in Poe’s fantasy Much as in life, we trade one monster for the next And for unlucky blokes, there’s no amnesty So listen for Poe’s laugh when you feel vexed Oddities abound in a world with no rules Poe has no patience for “sensible” solutions An angel he creates to make men seem fools Perhaps you’re next in line for this angel’s executions Who would be so brazen as to poke fun at Poe? Even as Poe toys with your sanity You may find yourself fleeing the Kraken in a hoe Only to be swallowed by a fierce manatee *Written February 15, 2014 for Craig Cornish’s “Angel of the Odd” contest