once upon a time a witch took shelter at an inn
known to the adventurous as the “Floating Doldrums ”
The Doldrums had a room with a rustic looking oak table within
covered in a table cloth made of the finest lush mould
on which stood thirteen silver flagon’s filled with placenta dust
around the table sat thirteen apostles waiting to be paroled
they sat on mushroom stools resurrecting only past paths walked
by their sacrificed feet round and round their masters blood stained altars
Yet when the time came to ascend the collapsing ladder they had all balked
from the inn keeper the witch purchased a room for the night
she folded expertly her red cloak up for a pillow
laying on the hard cot wrapped in cotton bandages still white
she plunged her head deep into the swirling universe of dreams
where large worlds descend into smaller worlds and vice versa
where time and laws don’t exist or so to the uninitiated it seems
before her lay a fleshly plowed spring field
in front of her a cauldron sat simmering over a fire
she placed a note and key into a bottle which she sealed
before dropping it into the sweetest simmering broth
then she danced round the cauldron till her feet bleed wine
and the moon was eclipsed by a giant grey dusty moth
the morning sun began its ascension from the mountainous south
the witch stopped her dance to wearily watch the east
where an elephant was crossing the rivers wide mouth
she kept an eye on the elephant as it crossed the field
guided by a man who sat like a jewel on his mounts head
his intentions hidden behind a golden heart shaped shield
the witch’s fine nose began to twitch and bleed with a sense of fear
for her nose knew the scent of a dangerous rosemary rattler
who chose from their beads witch hunter for their vile pious career
once they chose they would go forth with the everlasting sure cure
to separate the virtuous Beast from his maiden Witch
with the flame rod he wielded to make all yet again pure
the bull elephant came to a halt kneeling before the witch
the hunter lowered his golden shield before her radiant beauty
and blew her kisses filled with thorns and nettles from a switch
that brought tears to her eyes to sow her Elysian field furrows in salt
above vultures filled the skies screeching hosanna, hosanna
deafening the hunter to her mercy pleads so his healing would not halt
Her Beast descended from the mountains in bounds, tearing up a tree stump for a club
he crossed the witches Elysian field his hackles raised and glowing blue
the bull elephant charged at Beast who struck the elephant out of the hub
in a few bounds he seized the hunter tossing him away from purging his love
he then knelt beside her gathering her tattered flesh in his protective limbs
suddenly he was engulfed in flames fanned by the vultures wings from above
as the flames attacked his flesh Beast stumbled to the rivers spilling edge
Where he laid his witch in a vessel casting the boat safely into the rivers current
then he turned to face the hunter who was determined to keep his sworn pledge
The hunter retrieved his flaming stake of office from Beasts inflamed being
then watched Beast stagger back and sink like a sunset into the river
The hunter exhausted collapsed into his self inflicted flame blinded seeing.
Beast met his Fiend in a watery crypt
“dead words dead words “furiously screeched Fiend
as he tore up his plays tragic manuscript
on seeing his haggard Beast like a reflection, Fiend pointed a talon like finger
“don’t speak Beast for down here regardless of reason the words are all rotten
they’ll taste like sewer water on your tongue where for ages they will linger”
“free me Beast, please lead me from this stagnant eternity where i dwell”
“alas” Beast told his fellow captive “i have been given no map or key “
then he waited for the foul taste of those tragic words on his tongue to dispel
Beast lay inside a sarcophagus resting his weary form
Fiend sat brooding atop the sarcophagus like a stature reborn
its angry breaths causing such a draught they kept Beast warm
time hiccuped, then they heard scrapping talon footsteps cautiously approaching
Fiend passed down into the sarcophagus to stand beside Beast to defend him
for Fiend knew the intended fate of the heartsouls the gods vultures were poaching
knowing Fiend,Beast said, “no my Fiend you must abandon what’s left of me
for i am your escape,for to destroy me they will release you my shadow “
then vultures did fall on Beast who held on long enough so Fiend could flee
the villagers tell of the dreadful lonesome silence following the howlings
that come from the mouths of the craggy rock caves facing out from the moon
where the giant moon shamans say the Fiend of the Beast is at night found prowling
this been the place he found to escape the vultures who sought Beasts heartsoul
now Fiend lives in a burnt out gypsy rocket shipwreck with a red skinned comet coyote
whose empty eye sockets the local villagers gossip are black as voids coal
other stories are just as wild, some say in the winter he ate Beasts heartsoul
To save himself in the white cold barren unforgiving land from starvation
others say it was to keep the heatsoul safe inside thus making himself more whole
Now in this craggy rocky land he forged his frail essence into almighty hate
Under the guidance of a Cyclops tree that resided on a overlooking hill
he studied the wisdom of revenge before destiny shuffled the doors of fate
Fates cards began opening trap doors of possibilities for him to ghost walk through.
instead he tripped, falling into a land of grave plots where armies assembled
to celebrate the violence and insanity of running their foes through and through
for the entertainment of their opposing thumb tyrant gods of the Sandbox
who would condemn their worshipers flesh to carrion for their pet vultures
who at dusk would to the perches round the coliseum steaming blood bath flock
Fiend wandered out of the whales belly into a agitated state
the new land he had been dealt into smelt like a dark dank pantry
he blinked light into his eyes bringing into view a harbor of vulture bait
with dozens of stranded rotting whales beached along the emerald shale shore
Fiend felt the presence of something large and irrationally dangerous
rising up behind him,slowly he turned and there was a mass city spore
inside the coliseum the armies had each brought up their catapult altars
they were loading them with their golden virgin rocks mined from the divine womb
the projectiles the catapults hurled turned many ranks of soldiers into defaulters
from the coliseum pulpits the leaders applause of the chaos echoed like thunder
as each held their next battle commandment tablets above their blood swollen heads
as one evilgood attack tried canceling out the others next goodevil blunder
the witch held the boats rudder as she blew a gale to full the sail
as the boat skipped joyfully across the grey soup like waters of the lake
Fiend spun quickly when he heard a boat bite grinding on the emerald shale
Fiend on turning saw a vision through the eye of Beasts soulheart
fog lifted from a field where a
radiant witch harvested red berries
from her orchard where her giant blue furred Beast followed her with his cart
in a dance of merriment that filled the dry summer air with laughter
and the long winter moonless nights with passionate whispering kisses
neither in their joy asked was this now, then or the eternal hereafter
as Fiend drifted back to the lake shore he found himself standing alone
where he had thought his love stood,now only a sealed bottle with a note lay prone
to Fiends ears from the coliseum came the sound of clashing shields and swords
as the armies danced to the gods chorus of thundering sarcastic claps
and the twilight skies filled with the beating wings of the tax collectors hordes
as anger once again flowed into Fiends mind the blue fur that had started to sprout
round Beasts swollen beating soulheart began to recede as Fiend began to spread
till his dark sprawling lava like arms encircled the city of the blood baptized devout
Fiend picked up the city spore as if its immense weight held no meaning for him
turning he carried the city out into the grey murky waters of the simmering lake
at his waist height the ground under foot disappeared when he stepped off the emerald rim
weighed down he sunk with the city,panic held onto his thinking so he couldn’t swim
on the shore the hunter sat holding the witches note in his burnt glove
blindly reading the spell to resurrect her fallen Beast
“this is the map and key to my door, wake me with your kiss my love”
©bg 2011
resurrecting the trashcan bard 