Barbed Wire

    by Ralph Burns

    Two or more strands¹ twisted together，

    Oxides and baser salts， admixture

    Of carbon， metal of lash² and scourge³，

    Strung like a virus， barbed intervals⁵，

    Stapled⁷ by hand to bois d'arc poles，

    Woven by machine， "devil's rope"

    Of vast interior plains，

    Of meadows bruised⁸ by their own

    Amplitude⁹， barbed wire of a thousand

    Different kinds， undulating loops，

    Half round and square——Reynold's Web，

    Preston's Braid， Meriwether's Cold-

    Weather Wire， Shellaberger's Long Zigzag¹⁰，

    Walking Wire， Curtis's Ladder， Visible Lace，

    Arch and Leaf， Descending¹¹ Beads¹²， Staple⁶ Barb⁴，

    Open Diamond Point， Sproul's Twins，

    Elsey's Ribbon， Brink's Buckle¹⁴， Ellwood's Star，

    Flute¹⁵ and Rib¹³， Spool¹⁶ and Spurs， Joined Saucers，

    Tie through Eye， Body Grip，

    Blake's Knee Grip， Underwood's Tack——

    Unloved， unloving； that to name these

    Does no political good， but as precision

    Is polemical， against vague statement

    And circular evasion¹⁷， as the sharp angle of sun

    And crossed wires together body forth¹⁸ a spark，

    It is some kind——cold， unmusical， utterly¹⁹ itself，

    Keeping cattle in， or the enemies of sheep

    Out.