Monster

The monster in "Shine, Perishing Republic" is meant to look scary and evil since it's formed out of man's corruption. So we're not talking cuddly monsters, a la Where the Wild Things Are. This monster has an appetite for America's vulgarity and everything that's associated with it, whether that's power, greed, corruption—you name it. The center of its belly is located in the cities and it doesn't seem so interested in nature. So, the speaker tells his kids it's best to go where the monster isn't rather than throw themselves right into the heart of all of the corruption. Head for the hills, little fellas.

• Line 1: Although the speaker doesn't call America's thickening empire a monster just yet, he makes that spreading and thickening molten center look an awful lot like one. It's gross and gooey with those bubbles of protest that pop out and amount to almost nothing. Early on we see this monstrous goo as all-consuming and powerful in the ickiest way.
• Line 8: Here we see the actual monster that's gobbling all of the cities. So we understand that there's a big difference between what goes on in the cities and what remains once they're gone (nature). The monster is a metaphor for America's empire, which the speaker sees as a product of cultural decay and vulgarity.