Henry James was fond of the verb “bristle,”
used not merely of a creature’s fur.
We are living in a time of evil.
Hopes are snuffed out. Aspirations dwindle.
Each day faces us with some fresh fear.
Henry James used “bristle”
to conjure the instinctive need to tremble,
as when we sense a stranger coming near.
Living in a time of spreading evil,
Our consciousness proceeds along a double
track: safety here and danger there.
Henry James habitually used “bristle”
to suggest social situations, trivial
challenges, and specters larger far.
Since we are living in a time of evil,
we register the slightest quiverings. Subtle
gooseflesh reflexes quiver in our hair.
Henry James was fond of the word “bristle.”
We are living in a time of evil.