(For the FBI agent who, enquiring about a sister, asked "Who is in her network?")

Who is in my network
What links us to be exact?
Better to ask to understand the force
that cuts through rock the water’s course, 
and binding like to like
makes also opposites attract.

Who guides the earthworm underground, 
and makes the stubborn ants persist?
When wind and rain erode the land
who calls the root work to resist?
And what clandestine hand inscribed
the coded message in the seed?
Who masterminds the spider’s web
and plans the strategy of the weed?

What inspiration could invent 
the infrastructure of the vine. 
the grass revolt against cement,
the rebellion of the dandelion?
What force undermines the walls
to make then crack
or makes the branches of the tree 
when cut grow back?
Who conceals the passages between death and birth?
Who leads the revolution of the earth?

Who is in my network
What links us to be exact?
Better to ask to understand the force
that cuts through rock the water’s course, 
and binding like to like
makes also opposites attract.

Investigate the daisies for invasion of the lawn, 
or the ivy for trespass where it wants to grow.
Indict the sky for pouring out its rain,
contributing to the rivers overflow.
Arrest the seagull for unlawful flight,
impose a boundary to confine the sea,
demand a mountain modify its height,
dare my woman-spirit to break free.

Susan Saxe

[Spotted thanks to Jamie.]

Interlude (Secret Lives)

Secret lives
Siân Hughes

Sometimes your dressing gown unhooks
and slides out under the garden door,
with three aces up his sleeve.

He flies in the face of next door’s dog,
and backflips down the middle of the street,
opening himself and humming.

Something in pink nylon flutters at him
from a bedroom window. He twirls his cord
to beckon her outside.

They’re heading for a club they know
where the dress code is relaxed midweek,
and the music is strictly soul.

Generated for Andy in Three Minutes from the Words "Gothic", "Chains", "Cup of Tea", "Umbrella", "Reason", "Innocence", "Library", and "Synth"

The chains you place around my heart
are welcome ones
Just my cup of tea
For the reason that your innocence
first captivated me
in the library
my heart feeling like the
oontz
oontz
oontz
of my favorite synth song
Blood pounding through my veins
And darling, you
wear that eyeliner so well
I would hold an umbrella over you
in the rain
to keep it from running.
So please don’t go
My gothic sweet
return with me
to the library
As I’ve said,
you’re just
my cup of tea.

         Rachel Lynn Brody

CAPITAL

(Hat-tip: FFFOUND!)

Other Useful Advice

using a mask to poison Your partner
(can sometimes be tricky)

reassure Your loved one by cradling them in Your arms
(or on Your knee)

gently stroke their face with the mask
(so that they get used to it)

talk to them softly and smile
(the victim will sense if You are anxious)

You can hold the mask over their nose and mouth
(to give them a dose while they are sleeping)

loved ones will also breathe in the poisonous gas
(while they are crying)

Anon