Saturday, September 28, 2024

al-qubba (قُبَّةُ) ~ Saturday, September 28, 2024

When first I was born, I swallowed a book
holier than God left inside a vault
enter an alcove to meet your maker
nothing but a wisp of salty air, look

forgotten by dust, the ashes of bones
in an alcove, God weeps, in debt, whose fault
recovery sets the record, faker
straightens up the bills in the drawers, the cost
to house God inside a bank vault, the stones

I skip on water, Satan's daughter sleeps

within a fury, angry at her lot
as the black pepper in soup, while God weeps
storms in the ocean, beware of his snot

beware as he hocks a loogie, he lost
order, the blue pearl, spun out of control
revel in excess, corals pale a shade
near the atomic bikini atoll

I swallow the book as the decades fade

swarms of bees, my beard, memories, each strand
wash my eyes and face, Satan's daughter calls
as I seek refuge in darkness, so cold
light cannot reach me, as if to demand
liquid clarity filtered beyond pitch
objections aside, she stumbles and falls
words fail me, my bride, I laugh hard and bold
each day the birds curse epithets on race
difficult to say why the sparrows bitch

at passersby, click, the shutter closes

blasphemy to speak of God and the Book
only as the thorns cut my head, roses
olfactory bulb, a scent on a hook
kill me Judas-kind, rood without a trace

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