The poem opens with a question that sounds like a joke but isn't: if we hand our safety over to security, who protects us from security itself? The speaker seems uneasy, even wary, about a world where being kept safe becomes a kind of control. The phrase "the lock on discourse" suggests that the same machinery meant to protect us can also shut down conversation and free speech.
The second half turns to courage. "The breaking down of valor" feels like a loss of nerve, something people avoid "on all occasions." The poem then compares this avoidance to two surprising things: "the adventure of death" and "being surrounded by art." Judging by the pairing, the speaker hints that we dodge risk, and even beauty, because both can unsettle us and leave us unprotected.
The mood is dry, cool and quietly alarmed. There's no shouting here. The short, clipped lines let the unease build slowly, leaving readers with a question rather than an answer.