Christopher Bernard Page 2
  I hate it, I despise it, I loathe it, I detest it,
and yet I am filled with it, with implacable . . .

The Trembling Image

"Neda! Neda!" he called.
"Don't be afraid! Neda!"

The trembling image on the computer screen
like water in the palm of your hand.

The knees crooked slightly,
the white athletic shoes
parted,
the rust-red patch on the asphalt.

Circling, the image spiraled in
to the vulnerable head,
the face, pale, paling,

and the eyes caught it,
watching

the camera,
the image on the computer screen,
trembling,

the eyes.

Then the line of blood from the mouth,
a finger down her cheek,
then the black spider
that clasped her face.


The voice fading,
"Don't be afraid,
Neda! Neda!"

"I'm burning…"