QUOTE : On Guard<br /><br />I know how<br />to build fences.<br />I've built my border<br />for years.<br />Routinely, I repair<br />attempted entries<br />into<br /> my space.<br />Everyone is suspect,<br />gray-haired women,<br />a child's hand<br />reaching in,<br />people disguised<br />as rocks,<br />all possible invasions.<br />Don't be deceived:<br />I savor<br />my isolation,<br />my dark interior.<br />Silence, please.<br />Your opinions<br />are unwelcome.<br />Your jabber,<br />your many tongues<br />bore me<br />but will never bore <br />into my well-guarded<br />space. All the un-me<br />is alien. I take pride<br />in being on guard.<br />I'm willing to share<br />my strategies–<br />threats, barks,<br />explosions–<br />for remaining untouched <br />–in here