Susan McLean

Dead Reckoning

Conspiracies get all the buzz. Though rare,
when they succeed, the scenes are piled with dead.
The loner is the one you should beware,

whose rage is stifled. Plotters tend to share
their plans in calls or texts that may be read.
Conspiracies get all the buzz. Though rare

in life, in books and films they're everywhere
and seem more menacing. Don't be misled:
the loner is the one you should beware.

Having no confidants, he doesn't air 
the gory screamfests he concocts in bed.
Conspiracies get all the buzz. Though rare,

they seldom go unstopped. Plotters can't bear
absolute silence. Like a copperhead,
the loner is the one you should beware,

who stays so still you never see he's there
till he attacks and you are full of lead. 
Conspiracies get all the buzz, though rare;
the loner is the one you should beware.

Susan McLean has published three poetry books: The Best Disguise, The Whetstone Misses the Knife, and most recently Daylight Losing Time.