SHADOW BOXING

"Tell me Oh great King
What I have suffered."

"Whether shadow boxing in 'Lord Weary's castle',
Or off on some expedition into the hinterlands,
You bore the mark of Cain on your forhead.
You carried his fear of love
To the heart of innocent worlds.

As minister plenipotentiary of a dread Lord
You moved into the future
Guarding the sacred knowledge
That it was already doomed.
Your life and body became a cenotaph,
A shrine, a temple to the perfection
Of your father's despair.

And now as you come up out of Gomorrah,
(my daughter) you are tempted to believe
That the only thing you ever loved
Was the night mare that ruled
The black hole of my faithless heart.

As you leave Gomorrah, don't look back,
But carry and keep the silverware and plates
Else how will you cut
And eat your father's heart?"
January 1998