The Birth of a Straight Man, v 2.1.1: kolemath, lizziep, Wjames, Achebe, D.MYST

[RiverNotch]

as if it were just another finger. how can you connect the imagery of finger the 'playing' of the above line? fiddling? how do you play with fingers and how can this connect to the penis? I mean, don't you play with your fingers sometimes?

even the dirty unknown that lied motionless *lay   is this a homeless person? i'm a bit confused here a pedophile? a passed out drunk? I didn't and still don't think it matters.

the hell they made for me i'm not sure you've establish a clear hell above. just teasing perhaps, although I think the poem's clear that the speaker is exaggerating somewhat, with the jumping to and fro of the earlier language (ie, the tease and call you called out on the first stanza, the mock of the second, now the tease here responded to with hell) and his violent reactions in general

Love. The Sallman Head, the Image of Edessa: maybe i'm missing some allusions but god is love comes late in the old testament, then 20th century jesus, than a greek reference, than a roman girl. what am i missing here? God is Love I think was first properly mentioned in the new testament, 1 John -- The Sallman Head and the Image of Edessa are both icons of Christ, the earlier new and kinda wimpy, the latter old and kinda stiff (or at least the version I really like, the 12th century Novgorodian piece) -- and the girl reclining like a Roman (or being a Roman, I think the ambiguity works) is what the speaker supposedly falls in love with, thus becomes if not the actual image of God then the surface upon which the image is drawn, a la the window/reflection thing of the earlier stanza
nothing compares to the little red-haired girl
I saw lying all Roman on the wooden seat
...
And from then on, I'd be obsessed. with what? starting here perhaps is the revision. i might keep this line, though; rather like the ambiguity. 

Still working on them last two stanzas, still thinking of a new title; don't really want "straightening a man", since it sort of hides the connection to "straight in the eye". For now, I've posted the edited first four, plus the original last two. Massive thanks!