Sunday, February 24, 2013

Htebazileizzardabethica: superhero of fauna

For last poet Standing
week 6: create a superhero


Htebazileizzardabethica: Superhero of fauna

She liked to talk to Tobe
and that would have been fine
‘cept that Tobe was a squirrel
She was the oddest superhero, really
and barely that.
Everyone knew it,
all the greats
Captain Awesome and Fly-by-night
Moonsinger who could move the tides
and Clyde
who could read minds
they all knew and 
giggled behind gauntleted hands
because she called herself
the superhero of fauna
healed broken bird’s wings
and found homes for puppies
and fought off the bullies who’d cornered
not a girl, but a kitten
but she ran when the villains came to play
and let the greats take care of it
and afterwards they’d chant
Tebazil, can’t do nil
you call yourself a hero
who do you save?

And so she’d cry to Tobe
and he’d chatter, in his way, reminding her
of the robin who’d flown into a window
and lay dying in her palms
how she’d saved him
when the greats would have looked away
or the time that a badger had been swept down stream
and she’d saved him too.
that soothed  her
Htebazileizzardabethica
whose name didn’t roll of the tongue
like Flybynight or Awesome
or Clyde
who could also lift cars overhead.

Oh, she wished she was one of the greats, or at least
that they’d see her as such
they stopped crimes
but didn’t she use her powers with
the great responsibility the movies had taught her?
didn’t she help, all that she could?
Tebazil, can’t do nil
you call yourself a hero
who do you save?

But they’d come to her now, saying,
call your birdies
the city’s in peril
we have to act now,
every hero, even you
come, animal girl, come
so she’d pulled on her hoodie
it wasn’t a cape
but animals didn’t care what you looked like
not when they looked at you
with bead bright eyes and said
softer than any human whisper,
thanks

She followed Clyde
who could also teleport
into the dark city
run rampant with explosions as
villain after villain swarmed
taking revenge on heroes and their home.

Htebazileizzardabethica
 looked with eagle eyes and saw
darkness
closing in like a raptor on prey
and Tobe
on his telephone pole chattered
in his way
"Too dangerous, they come
and they will rip this city to the ground
too many of them. Run"

People cried out for the greats, pleading, thanking, then-
It’s a bird, it’s a pla- no, it’s a bird
one of her birds,
but what’s she doing here
the superhero of fauna
not of people
she thinks she can help?

she was back to back to back to back to back
with Awesome and the Moon
Fly-by-night
and Clyde
who was running out of breath
and she ran
Tebazil, can’t do nil
you call yourself a hero
but you run away

Up the stairs and into the first building still standing
museum

And the wave of dark pressed on
and the greats cursed and called for backup
from Gotham
Metropolis
anywhere
please.

Leading the charge, Darkness itself cheered
in the form of one defeated every day after school
"And now we win! And now we win!"
And the birdies took to the sky lamenting
blood and tears fell from the faces of the greats
as they readied themselves to fight
but it was a lost war.

Htebazileizzardabethica
was having none of that
CHARGE! she yelled
as she rode out of the museum
on a mammoth.

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