my spy

when i was a lad i was obsessed 

with the word espionage

not for its definition or hints

of duplicity or mystery

but in its sound as a word

the music of its syllables

& sibilance of s & soft g sounds

how trouble is made in the mouth

& the motors of politics 

rumble in the shadows

of gumshoe fiction

the netherworlds of spycraft 

& alternate identities

how a word might bring

darkness into light

while singing to myself

softly the refrain

espionage espionage espionage