Pharaoh Neco

What is he up to?
This little king of judah.
Great grandson of hezekiah.
Is he too afflicted with the madness
of his great grandfather?

will he, like his great grandfather
bring ruin upon his people?

Word has come from judah
that this little king is restoring the temple
that his priest has found a book
that the king intends to restore
the sacrifices
that blood should again flow
upon the stones
upon the altars
and the black smoke rise again
to stain the sky

we cannot have this

The man moses took the darkness with him
they who volunteered
took the darkness into the desert
took the darkness to that mountain
tricked the darkness into the ark
lied to and fed the darkness
until solomon learned the secret
until solomon wrought the key
until solomon bound the darkness
within the inner within
behind the veil
the deceiver deceived
and there we hoped it would remain
forgotten
to no more trouble
the world of men.

but

it seems to those
whose minds are weak
he can still speak
out of his darkness.

I shall call a council
we must find
a solution to this problem
solomon was wise
but not wise enough
we must be wiser
for this god of plagues
troubles us still
and should somehow
they free it

No, that does not bear thinking on.

Let us consult with the scribes
of the city of stone
keepers of the books of solomon
keepers of the keys
within the treasury of wisdom
there must an answer be found

And then
we shall decide what to do
about this foolish king
of judah.

whom god would destroy

Whom god would destroy he first makes mad

He came to me in my dreams
and this he said -
I will make you king over all
you shall be king hereafter
I shall give you dominion
over all the peoples of the world
hear my voice.
You shall be greater than pharaoh
greater than nebuchadnezzar
greater that the Assyrians
the Egyptians
You shall be greatest
none shall be able to stand
before you -

within the ruined temple
upon the mount
there I dwell
if you will but purify it
sanctify it
restore it.

Drive from your kingdom the priests
of the other gods
slay them
burn their bones
and worship me.

Only me.

Send to me your priest
that I may speak with him
I shall give to him my book
and teach him how
my temple shall be
and how this
the city of my temple shall be.
I shall teach him
and he shall teach you.

And now, as I am dying,
shot through with arrows
abandoned on the field of battle by my god,
for whom I did everything.
I see, at last, clearly,
through the veil he cast over my mind
the dark glass he placed before my eyes
his true nature.
and I ask myself why,

why, if he was truly the god of my people
why, if he truly had the powers he claimed
why, if he truly was who he said he was
why then, did he need me?

I was weak, and he was weak,
but I fed him and he grew strong.
He fed upon me
and he feeds upon my people.
I have brought destruction upon my people
all the blood we gave him
will not be enough
for he is still bound to the temple
I know not how
nor why.

Which of the two priesthoods
were the keepers of the truth?
Which of the two priesthoods
is the keeper of the keys
to the chains that bind him
I fear now
I fear
that I have given power
to the followers of the dark

Oh Sophia
why have you come to me now?

Take me back to my city
That I may undo that which I have done.
Before I die

But I fear
it is too late.

sonnet 13

My words flow from his mouth like bitter gall,
who writes with wormwood ink upon the page.
Enscribes epistles great, in greatness small,
unholy fool, deceived, to fools a sage.
Fools, fearing laws they do not understand,
will seek my freedom, I, the lord of hate.
Their lives abandon, seeking in my hands
a life eternal, in my dark estate.
Their lips, uncircumcised, shall speak my name
believing it to be the name of god.
Thus they shall put to death those without blame,
who seek to sort the even from the odd.
I win the battle, best by never trying
the wits of those, who won't believe I'm lying.

Clement

In the heavenly realm we find
first the greater
and then the lesser
the god of all
then the god of creation

Yet with humans
we find the opposite,

first the weaker
and then the stronger.
Cain and Able
Ishmael and Isaac
Esau and Jacob
Aaron and Moses
Yohanan bar Zechariah and Yeshua bar Joseph
Saul and Peter

Oh Clement
you knew how true you spoke
yet you feared to follow your thought
to it's true conclusion
to the very beginning
For the false god
the god of creation
created first adam

and then created

Eve.

Thomas

The Pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of knowledge and hidden them.
They themselves have not entered, nor have they allowed those who wish to.

You however, be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

The King of Judah

The king of Judah has gone mad
he rages about the halls of his palace
he proclaims before the temple gate
the temple of his god
he rends his garment
Pours ashes upon his head

A voice spoke to him in a dream
restore my temple, the voice said
and I will reward you
Send your priest to my temple
and I will show him a thing

The king arose from his bed
called his priest to the royal chamber
the kings eyes burned as if with fever
I have had a dream, The king said, the voice of my
great grandfather spoke to me.
commanded that I send you to the temple
there upon the hill
the dark abandoned place
that you might be shown a thing
something of great power
you must find this thing
and bring it to me

The priest shook with fear
but did as the king commanded
taking with him his scribe
that there should be a witness
and that he should not enter the temple
alone.
For those who entered the temple
by the dark gate
never went out by that path again
it was said a demon dwelt therein
and fed upon the blood and the soul
of anyone foolish enough to enter
his temple
A demon who stole the eyes
of those who gazed upon him
for none might see him
and live.
So, it was said, it had been
since the fabled days
of fabled solomon
who in his wisdom
had bound and confined the demon
with powerful spells
within the ark
within the chamber
within the curtain
within the walls
that he might no more trouble
the world of men.

The King of Judah has gone mad
he rides about his kingdom
his eyes burning as if with fever
eyes burning like a man possessed
with him the priests of his god
with him his men of might
they smash the asherah
they cut down the poles
they burn the groves
they destroy the green trees
they slaughter the priests of the groves
and the high places
the blood of the priests
runs down the hills like the water
after the rain
red water of death
down the hills of judah

he burns their bones
he desecrates their holy places
with the ashes of their bones
he desecrates their holy places
with the poison
of his hate.

the people run in fear
terror fills their hearts
they hide their house gods
their king has gone mad.

He levies taxes upon the people
he sets men to work on the ruined temple
drives them as a cruel plowman
drives oxen
until they fall exhausted

Your great grandfather failed me
so says the voice of his dreams
Your grandfather and father heard me not
they stopped their ears
and would not hear me
but you,
You hear me
You will do as I command

The King wanders the palace
shouts, waves his arms,
the palace is filled with his cries

The priest and the scribe found a book
there within the ruined temple
as the voice had said
they took it to the king
and after the king had read it
he went mad.

When the temple was finished
the king stood before the people
upon the temple steps
the people filled the courtyard
his soldiers guarded the gate
that none might leave
The king proclaimed unto them
that there had been found
within the ruined temple
the book of the one true god
the word of the one true god
the god of the people of judah
whom they had forgotten
whose laws they had not obeyed
living in peace and prosperity
under the reign of his father
and grandfather
fifty seven years of peace

no more he said
no more would they forget
the one true god
they would keep his laws
and he, their king
would see to that

he read to them
the entire book of the law
the people shook with fear
for their king had gone mad.

They must sacrifice
he cried to them
they must atone!
there must be a sacrifice!
a sacrifice for the sins of the people
so many sins
all the sins of his father
and his father before him

thirty seven thousand and six hundred lambs
the king took
three thousand and eight hundred bulls
the king took
and the priests slaughtered them
before the chamber
within the temple
to feed the kings god

the priests were covered in the blood
and excrement from the dying animals
the hems and fringes of their robes
became heavy with blood
and dirt
they fell exhausted
into the running blood
others took their place
at the kings command
their hands blistered on the knives
which slit the throats of the sacrificial lambs
their hands blistered on the knives which skinned
the sacrificial lambs
thirty seven thousand six hundred lambs
three thousand eight hundred bulls
the priests blood mingled
with the blood of the sacrifice
the courtyard of the temple ran red
slippery
with the blood of the slaughter
the people watched in terror

More wood, the king cried
more wood! Build up the fires!
my god commands me!
build up the fires!
feed the fires
you must feed my god!
Throw the blood
upon the sides of the altar!
sprinkle the blood on the horns of the altar!
Sanctify the temple of my god
with blood!

thirty seven thousand six hundred basins
blood of the lamb
on the horns of the altar
on the sides of the altar
three thousand eight hundred basins
blood of the bull
on the horns of the altar
on the sides of the altar
forty one thousand four hundred basins of blood
forty one thousand four hundred basins of blood.

The smoke of the burning flesh
a holocaust unto the kings god
rose black into the heavens
obscuring the sun by the day
and the moon and stars by night
the city was shrouded in black smoke
the smoke of death
the smoke of slaughter
the smell of the burning flesh
(a pleasing odor unto the lord)
traveled even unto israel
so that the people there wondered at it.

it is said that there had not been
such a great slaughter
since the days of samuel.

the king of judah has gone mad.

sonnet 12

Dark the dreams of those who watch. While sleeping

thoughts like entrails coil unruly, augur  

from blood wetted stone new visions. Seeking

there a chain of words, a binding order

with which to shape the smoke of burning incense,

and scribe such words of power on the dark

encompassing his hall of consequence,

as to hold him bound forever in his ark.

Thus must priest be master of deception

with bloody sacrifice deceiver deceive
while wisdom ponders over his creation
how darkness from the light she shall unreeve.
The lying tongue will lead the sheep astray

who seek his freedom and the end of days.