reincarnated as
a
hall of mirrors version
of
himself
fragmented,
contorted
everything
a little
awry,
askew
… nothing
is new ...
leaves
the fairground
forever
altered
or
a cherished
threadbare
teddy
pulled
apart, dismembered
by
the randomly brutal
devotion
of an infant
then
as roughly mended
stitched
together by
an
inept seamstress
strapped
for time
in some ways less
in some ways less
than
what he was
before
before
in
some ways more
now
what was once
an instinct, a reflex
can cause him to pause, to hesitate
adjust, adapt, recalibrate
a clockwork toy
a clockwork toy
in
a perpetual
wind-down
running on empty
driving on fumes
running on empty
driving on fumes
usually
head-on
down
a dead-end
fuelled
by a fervour
that
keeps
pitching
him forward
regardless
reckless
reckless
now
he’s died already
courts
disaster with disdain
is
indifferent to his fate
and
an intimate of pain
his default setting
his default setting
self-destruct
takes the wheel and
takes the wheel and
takes
control ...
for
the sake of the girl
for
the sake of the mission
one
last shot at redemption
one
last act of contrition ---
For a textual appreciation of Rupert Friend's portrayal of Peter Quinn, see: peter quinn (rupert friend) in 'homeland' on channel 4. It's a crime Friend wasn't nominated for an Emmy; for another Quinn poem, see vanquished..
