i seem
to see this stranger
almost everywhere
i do not wish
to frighten you
but you should know
he's there
so that if you're threatened
if evil's ever done
you'll know
it’s him who did it
you’ll know
that he's the one

his looks
are ordinary
but he does things in the dark
he hides inside the shadows
watching children
in the park
he whispers things
in subways
you’d tremble with alarm
i tell you
he will get to you
he's out
to do you harm

i've seen him
in the headlines
and on the evening news
i saw him
on the sideline
when stones were thrown
at jews
and marching in montgomery
pretending that he cared
i saw him wink
as though
some old conspiracy were shared
he was in the crowd in dallas
at the close of camelot
i spotted him
on campus when
the students had been shot
in an oriental village
with civilians left to rot
he was hanging out
with soldiers
trading heroin for pot
and he was
smiling
smiling….

last night
i found obscenities
scrawled across my wall
i swear
i can't repeat
the filthy words that i recall
and then
the most immoral
damned insulting thing of all
as I read each line
i noticed
his handwriting
was identical
with
mine.