Prince of Darkness never shook hands,
flossed his teeth religiously, never sweated,
didn’t like heat, kept his windows open year round.
Computer whiz, master mindpicker,
keeper of serious secrets, cruelly conceived,

The decision seemed that much bolder
for the well of silence it sprang from
that late winter day, as I stood at the sink
and stared across the driveway,
the furnace having just shut off,