Plague city shut its gates

to keep out or keep in

 

the dead magistrate

bricked up in the portal

 

all the living pounding gavels

to keep away the Devil

 

the operatic chaos of the chorus

typical of the times

Richard Carr’s writing has appeared in Poetry East, Exquisite Corpse, New Letters, Painted Bride Quarterly and many other journals. He has published two chapbooks and eight full-length poetry collections, most recently Dead Wendy. A former systems analyst, web designer, and tavern manager, he currently teaches English in Minneapolis.