Silence, and The Wind.

It never rains here

Never?

Never.

Never is a very long time.

Here? Yes and No.

If there's no water, then there's no life here?

We're here.

I don't know about you, but I'm still not certain I'm not dead and this is Hell or Purgatory or Limbo.

I thought they got rid of Purgatory and Limbo.

No. They just expanded the Pales of Hope.

Ah.

Silence, and the wind.

The water is the life.

No, the blood is the life.

Yes. But blood is mostly water.

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

Genesis?

And Deuteronomy... The New Testament. Old YHWH has a thing about blood.

silence, and the wind.

If there's no water, what do we drink?

We don't.

If we get thirsty?

Doesn't happen.

Hungry?

Not here.

So, we appear to have bodies, but we don't really have bodies?

Good question.

Silence, and the wind.

Huh. It moves doesn't it?

What?

The Cathedral, Temple, whatever the hell it is. It moves.

I'm not sure if it moves, or if it's the one fixed point here, and The City moves around it.

And the Bridge?

It... is....

Silence, and the wind.

I lost my watch somewhere.

No. Time doesn't... I... You can't bring a watch here,  I tried,  nothing that measures time.  Was it a wristwatch? 

Yes.

You'll have it when you go back.

You're sure I'll go back.

Yes.

What am I supposed to do then?

I don't know.

Silence, and

The Wind.

Number Six

Beat me here this time. She stiff?

Not yet. 

We're gettin closer....

Dream on.... 

Huh. So... if I'm countin' right, this makes what... six?

Yeah, she's number six.

Six. 

Got any idea how long ago.

Not long. Still warm, no rigor. 
  So just before sunrise.

Looks like it.

He doesn't seem to like the light.

Most of 'em don't.

Yeah, well this guy ain't like most of 'em no matter what way you look at it.

No shit.

You guys just document  the scene and tag an bag her?

Pretty much.

Just to confirm, no eyes?

No eyes.

No other apparent trauma?

Nothin. 

Huh.

You guys seen this before?

Yeah, that's why we're here. We're special.

I gathered. I wonder how he did it.

Did what?

Removed her eyes so clean, I mean look, no bruising, no lacerations or damage to the eyelids, no blood, no apparent damage at all to the orbits, usually when you get an eye gouged out it's a mess... but see? The sockets look clean, almost, I don't know, not cauterized, there's no evidence of heat... it's just... like they just disappeared, it's fucking weird.

No shit.

You doing the autopsy?

Nah, I'm not a pathologist,

Know who'll get this one?

Uh, whoever's on rotation for today, if they get to it.

Oh they'll get to it today. I'll guarantee that.

Uh... OK.

Tell ya what, I'm gonna follow these guys in and talk to whoever's in charge here.

Hah! That would be you.

True, true. Anyway, I want you to hang out here.  Does she have the mark?

 Not that I could see, but it might be under her clothes, won't know till they get her on the table. But I haven't seen anything.
 
If there's no mark that means our friend hasn't put in an appearance yet , so maybe you can keep an eye out for him while I get things moving officially.

Oh man, this call got me outta bed! I haven't had any breakfast yet.

Life's a bitch.

Then ya die.

Hungry, in your case.

I'll bring ya somethin when I come back. I shouldn't be too long.

Sausage Mcwhatever. 

Those things'll kill ya, ya know.

Says the man who smokes cigars. 

laughs

Coffee?

Coffee.

Ok guys. I'm following you, so don't be runnin any red lights, or I'm gonna be pissed.

No sir.

Hey, before we go I got another question.

Yeah?

Any 'a you guys seen a cat?

A cat?

Yeah, a white cat. Real pretty, kinda seems to glow.

Don't think so. Any of you see a cat?

Donnoh. I think I mighta seen something as we pulled up. But I wouldn't swear to it.  

Who called it in? 

It was a jogger found her.

You got info?

Yeah we got her name and a number. Who was it... Kowalski? yeah, she was the patrol officer, took her statement, she was pretty shook up. Probably won't be runnin on this trail again any time soon.   

Good. 
When you get my Bona Fides, I get that info from ya.
Won't ask for it now, since you don't know me from Adam. Cept of course for the Badge and the ID, but I could be anybody.

Uh, right.  

'K, let's get this started. The sooner we catch this bastard the sooner we all go home.  

Don't forget my coffee!

  

Sonnet 17: Proof

The fear within fears not the fear without
the confines of my thought, my thought unbounded
by certainty, corrodes beneath my doubt
the stone on which I thought my thought was founded.
The coursers coursing course my hare of thought
fast fleeing through green fields beneath a sun
which gives what is and also what is ought
an equal weight how'er the race is run.
"Upon this stone I build my church" He said.
Yet on shifting sands his rock was founded
and by his words was I uncertain led 
to find myself by endless doubt surrounded.
The Pillars of The Temple weigh the roof
yet fear and doubt demand a better proof. 



 

Sonnet 16: The Serpent

The Dark within its darkness found the light
which caged its shadow. Shadowed from the sun
behind the new moon, Darkness shining bright
behind the light beyond its shadows run
a Serpent is, who with a Lions face
outfaces those who in the mirror look,
brings forth from darkness and eternal space
the key within a key. Open The Book.
Thy ward is intricate, which turning locks,
and unlocks there a Door which has no name,
inside a cave within the burning rocks
above The City Dark, upon the plain.
The Eagle must The Serpent loose and find
the Key which gives new sight unto the blind

The Four upon The Great Bridge

Four now stand upon the bridge
beneath the sky of umber
starless, moonless, cloudless
the thin wind which never stops
whistling about the piers and balusters
the rails and stones
the spire of the cathedral visible this time
sometimes it is not

The Seer, The Priest
The Eagle, The Dove

they would doubt the reality of their being
but for the grit of the railing beneath their hands
the feeling on their fingers and palms
like sandpaper
the sound of the grit beneath their feet
when they move 
the cold wind caressing their faces
like the fingers of death

The Great Machine hammers away
far beneath The City
forging link by link
the great chain of darkness
they can hear the hammer falls in the air
they can feel the hammer falls in their feet

while in other chambers
lit by the glow of decay
sometimes green
sometimes blue
work the locksmiths
who bind the soul to the flesh
with keys whose wards are intricately cut
in forms fantastical
the lyric of death

The Seer (whose eyes are the eyes of man) sees the Face of the one who is coming
The Dove (who has not eyes but embers glowing) sees that which the Dark One sees
The Eagle (whose eyes are gold refined) sees that which lies hidden in the distance
The Priest, (whose eyes are filled with fire) burning sees through all deception 

Thought and Memory circle above
riding the currents 
of the cold brown wind

Saul hated cats.

Saul hated cats, let the record show,
especially cats who were white as snow.
Saul was a small man, as his name states,
a man of petty thoughts, and also petty hates.
Saul heard a voice in the desert one day
as towards Damascus he made his way
to arrest some Jews, even though he had no warrant,
nor authority, nor leave, nor reason; so abhorrent
he found the Yeshuah movement that he would 
lay them by the heels before the court if but he could!

"Oh Saul" he heard a voice - 
he later thought it might be god -
"Why persecutest thou me?" 
followed by a flash of blinding light
(which his fellow travelers saw and heard,
or perhaps did not, depending)
which laid him out cold 
turning daytime into night,
his consciousness descending
into the void.
again, which may, 
or may not, 
have been observed
by all the others with him.
(depending on the story)
see acts or see epistles, 
"let us generate confusion"
thought the authors 
who wrote later,
neither omniscient 
nor omnipresent.
(but then, who is?)
Reconstructed dialog 
in the finest Roman fashion,
based on what they thought 
he might have said
lying on his back 
in that position.

Sigh....

Saul lay blind and deaf,
for three days? So they say.
perhaps more, or perhaps less,
what's it matter anyway?
And when he woke, 
he then and there informed 
all those who were about him
that Saul was henceforth 
to be known as Paul!
And my lord were they astounded!

Remember how old yhwh drove Josiah into madness
that whispering voice that talks and talks and talks till one with gladness
would do anything the voice commands for just one moment of silence
even transmute the ideas of a lord of peace into a religion of violence.

Aeon after aeon the pleroma and sofia
wandered through the trackless desert
beneath a heaven starless
seeking to undo 
(without Eldest knowing)
unreap an evil harvest,
undo an evil sowing.

Saul, he was a small man.

Humbaba

Humbaba,
he whose face is made 
of entrails
lord of death
father of decay
who dwells within
the forest of the hills
beyond the rivers
above the plain
who feasted on the bodies
of the drowned
when the rivers
driven mad by the god
of water and thunder
wind and rain
the waters above
and the waters below
known to some as Enlil
and to others 
by other names
overflowed their banks
drowned across the fields
dissolved the mud brick
houses of men
as if they were honey 
in boiling water
swept before them
rafted bodies 
in great piles
to rot under the sun
when the land dried
and the rivers 
returned to their courses
as if nothing whatsoever
had happened
leaving only
piles of bones.

the ravens, 
crows, 
vultures 
a festal day
the stench of sacrifice
rising to the heavens

Ut napishtim
Atra-hasis
who rode out the storm
warned by wise Enki
was granted immortality
whether in reward
or punishment
is hard to say.

There are many gods
some petty
some noble
some savage
like men
for men made the gods
in their image
as below
so above.

* * *

Don't look like nobody's home.

Door's unlocked.

Huh. That ain't good. Wonder if someone beat us here.

Phaugh! What is that smell!

Somethin very very dead. (pause) Ya can tie your handkerchief over yer nose an breath through yer mouth... but I never found it helps much. S'th reason most of th old school boys smoked cheap cigars. Nothin like a greasy 10 cent dago cheroot ta cover up the smell of a ripe one. (pause) you ain't gonna hurl on me are ya? You don't look so good.

No. I wouldn't want to contaminate a crime scene.

Yah, well,  you sure as hell wouldn't be the first one ta do it...

Maybe I will take up smoking.

Good idea.  Ya change yer mind, getcher ass outside or you'll never hear th' end of it.

Lights?

Lessee... nope, nothin, burned out, or powers off.  Owes ConEd some money maybe.

Maybe.