It’s Like a Fever

It’s like a fever, undetectable, So calm its toxins slither round and hide. Its weaponry is not deflectable If once deployed past walls and gates inside The city that is you. Your love, though large And true, cannot defend your marrow, vein, Or blood against these spies that sneak and barge Around your being, seeking out the pain You never wanted, don’t deserve, but now Must harbor in your sperm and in your bed For every lover. Prayer cannot endow You with offensive shields. It cannot shred A micro-organism’s clawing gnaw. You stalk with hope between despair and awe.