Barbarossa The Demon Poem by Caetano Silveira

When the rusted arm of the night
came to me like cold steel
and in thick ebonite boots, silver shine like
empty mirrors
the goose-stepping death-ant army
flowed east over thick soggy fields and small wooden towns
with gnawing, clawing wolf-men
driven in steel cages with fire tongues-
like Tigers they stalk the Earth
and with black rubber hearts
they burn the ground they infect
but, running, I see on the horizon;
On the long plains, with the burning Red dawn,
come the flames of the sunlight
and as the roaring sun beams, scarlet and gold, descended
Archangel Michael rode upon the writhing beasts
and with red flame and red heart,
they cut off the demons arms
and ripped off his black scaled wings.
Breathing fire and his dark eyes rolling,
the black beast is cleft in two.
Victory,
but as the black stains of blood wash away
no victor is left standing
to slice the still beating black rubber heart
And as I bent down to hold the sword
it swept away like sand in wind
and the beating never stops in my ears