A beautiful woman’s face

is painted on the glass of my life.

I am seeing everything

through that face…

When the Emperor Insanus—

from whose name we derive

“insane”—hosted banquets to

celebrate victories, he would haul…

In proud less search of angelic birth

And rightful place among the stars,

Modern Thales seduced reality

Conceiving these little men from Mars…

Tick tick tick,

The clockmaker grinned,

Half blind, half deaf, but gleeful.

Crick crick crick…

Upon her birth on land,

a siren enchanted a newborn human being.

Cheeks blue like the sea,

she would never take a full breath of air…

Don’t wake up the demon, he is ruthless

In his hate as well as in his love.

He can jump into the chasm, know this,

He can fly and look at mortals from above…

In the atomic age he witnessed a baneful

beast slouching toward Bethlehem

aborted, dangling, umbilical chord still

attached to Athena’s womb…

I see her leaning over to listen to her daughter

In the coffee line.

It is a rainy day in spring

Months after he died.

Forgive the old man for his poor choice,

For his enormous guilt that never ends,

Since Pilate said his verdict in cold voice

And then, in hesitation, washed his hands…

I’m fallen

in the deepest spot of myself pit

on the summit of thought

the wind of wisdom has hugged me…