Vision 4

The city of the seven

city of the sons of the son 

who is the son of the daughter
dawn born

born of the sea

survivor of the great battle he
spawned by a daughters
beautiful treachery

who saw the walls of the city fall

the gate breached by trickery
surmounted by a treacherous beauty
city of the wanderer 

subtle and patient 

shall burn

the temple
wherein he is bound

founded on the mount

the temple within the temple

beyond the wall

behind the curtain

wherein he dwells 
the dark power
in eternal darkness
the deceiver deceived
before whom burns the altar
of eternal flame
who ever thirsting
drinks the blood of life
and is never satisfied
in all consuming fire
shall it burn

when the third stone shall be split
last of the three
by the dark hammer
within the hidden place
beneath the city 
of the seven heights
the one who was asked for
the small one shall he battle
the spouter of lies
the lying tongue
the flame of unrighteousness
released from the inner chamber
the stone shall be unseated
the one asked for shall be bound
in a chain of wisdom
by the word of eldest
that city too shall burn
The three shall fall
the first from a tree
the second from a height
the third from a throne

The ten fleeing shall gather
beyond the narrow gate
through the keyhole
the narrow way
to the city of the city of stone
the dry city
the city of no water
There
within the Great Treasury
wherein is kept the Book of Books
there shall the ten gather
with The Key open the One Book
The Great Book
wherein the ten shall write his name
the flame of unrighteousness
wherein the ten shall each enscribe 
the flame of unrighteousness
but a single letter
the flame of unrighteousness
of his dark name
the flame of unrighteousness
wherein the ten shall bind him
the flame of unrighteousness
wherein the ten shall lock him
the flame of unrighteousness
lord of his dark creation
the flame of unrighteousness
and cast him 
the flame of unrighteousness 
into the outer darkness

she of the golden eyes
winged wild
summoned by the ten
sent by eldest
who with the two
black as night who watch
she shall bear the key
far from the city of stone
over the mountains of pain
beyond the plain of night
into the caves
of the mountains of night
to the hand of the keeper

Hypostasis

Upon this rock shall I build...
Do you seriously think
he actually said that?


How convenient that one should be named
the rock.
Surely, was it chance?
It's positively literary
cornerstones
foundations
hypostasis
it is so easy to mislead you.
he may have given you minds
but he gave you no 
sense.

Against him

The One,
became the other,
became the other,
became the one

and so
the one becoming,
was.

the unknowable then became 
the all.

in the beginning,
when there was no heaven,
there was no hell.
and satan,
(shall I take that name?),
was unemployed.
beelzebub?
merely a (to be) hebrew pun.

odd perhaps,
that children of the son of Sofia
should be,
so unwise.

should waste,

should waste,
so much energy,
in this world, 
filled with real beauty,
and real evils,
obsessing about
unseen and unknowable beauty,
and
invisible and imaginary evil.
(but the son of wisdom being truly mad,
or not being, is the subject of that question.)
they, his children, must create - 
a heaven and its angels,
a hell and its demons,
catalog a heavenly host,
write imaginary demonologies,
(Ah, kramer and sprenger, my sons, my sons...
I would to god I had claim of thee,
but I do not, for they are his.)
kill each other,
endlessly,
over imaginary ideas.

even I?
even I,
could not have come up 
with a thought 
so preposterous.

but as they, 
his children, 
invented it,
I, 
his brother
shall make use of it.

I shall use it against them,
and so,
against him.

A summers day

Within his bending sickles compass...
Shall I compare thee...

No.

No.

Where am I?

Should I open my eyes?

Yes? No?

I feel... warm... I feel warmth... Yes....

Warm... feels... good....

There's light, I can feel it.

Then... I'll open my eyes now.

Yes. I'll open my eyes.

Ow. Bright...

It's day.

What a wonderful word...

Day....

Day... Light....

The sky is blue? Yes?
I see clouds.
Clouds.
Then I am here
and not
there.

Yes, see, the sun is up.
The sun...
The Sun.

Sky and clouds and sun
and leaves
trees
birds

Listen.

I am surrounded by living things
surrounded by life.
life.
hear that?
oh... hear that.

I'll sit up now.
yes.

whoa, whoa.. a little dizzy... there.
There, just a minute... There... that's better.

Jesus, I can feel that bass thumping all the way over here.

Never thought I'd be glad to hear that.

Listen to that sheet metal rattle. Dudes gonna be deaf as a post
by the time he's thirty. What... what am I wearing?

Huh. Not too bad, could be worse.

Has been worse.

Jeans, shirt, boots.

I guess this must be my jacket.

Hell, they're even clean. Good deal.

Any money? Check the pockets.
Check the pockets.

Yeah... lucky me. At least I'll be able to eat for a couple of days. Maybe even rent a room. Take a shower.

A shower would be nice.

Stand under the running water.

Hot running water. Pure running water.

Wash, get clean.

Hot water would be nice.

Yeah.

Hungry.

OK. First something to eat, then a room, with a shower.

A hot shower.

How did that go? I can't remember. It was a jingle, right?

Something... something... "... and watch your troubles go down the drain."

Let's go get some food.

The Two

There are Gates meant to keep out
and
There are Gates meant to keep in.

Paths that lead toward
and
Paths that lead away.

Stairs for ascent
and
Stairs for descent.

Doors for one to go in
and
Doors for one to go out.

There are Ways that lead to the means
and 
There are Ways that lead to the ends.

The trick is knowing
which one you're on
or which side.

The White Bird

I threw him down 
from the wing of the temple
the pinnacles height, 
he fell 
linen robe flapping
a great white bird who could not fly
his god 
did not save him
for his god 
sleeps
nor could he save 
his city
nor the temple
brother of brothers
whose younger brother I killed
leader of the twelve

I almost erased his name
from the list of the twelve
almost
but the others were clever
they knew me then
for what I was
for what I am
united 
they had the greater power
so perforce I fled
before I could finish
and found shelter
among the deceived ones
prepared long before
to receive me as the one
bearing truth
I who taught them
to drink the blood 
and eat the flesh
I laugh to think of it now
now that I am again free

I tried to erase him 
from all the books
but was not able
so I rewrote him
and his brother
before I was chained

So they gathered
in power
to cast me out
the ten who remained
they bound
but could not destroy me
but as I fell
so fell the temple
the twelve were lost
but the ten remain
who hold up the world

It was said
"Not one stone shall remain upon another"
not one
but many stones remained
they wait.

I see him falling still
a great white bird
it pleases me

My lie has succeeded
beyond my wildest dream
they call to me
tho many no longer believe
still some remain loyal
oh children 
drink the blood
eat the flesh
kill 
and die for me


give me your strength.

sonnet 11

Thy Ward is intricate within it sleeping
the key of keys which opens all the doors
where wisdom bright her silent watch is keeping
lore mistress, queen of heaven, virgin whore
the candles lumed will burn before the altar
the priests will cast the blood upon the stone
the archon will read silent from the psalter
the word of words before the empty throne
Within the Book of Wisdom lies an answer
to the questers question yet unasked
who first must find The Key before The Dancer
when now the present day become the past
She who bore the key within her keeping
shall waken to the sound of mothers weeping