Socrates and John the Baptist got in a fist fight
Socrates with his leading questions
John pouring a jug of wine on his head
Nothing major, you see
Just a misunderstanding about the tab
That they'd somehow rung up
Neither would cop to the expense
After they had both fallen on the floor
And forgotten how they'd gotten there
They walked out the door as friends
The wait staff collecting the dirty clothes
And scribbled pages
They'd left behind
And sold them as holy relics
And grand philosophy
(the tab must be paid somehow)
-----
They breathed fire
The mist of saliva and everclear
Igniting like a firework
Melting soul-patches
While everyone cheered
It was the night of their life
Immortality proven by survival
The music was loud enough to wake
The Peterson's next door
Neither hearing-aid turned on
But the vibration enough
To shake them from their adjustable bed
When the old man yelled
Vainly into the night
For quiet
He imagined how respectful, reasonable and upright
He had been 'at that age'
And went back to bed
Swung wildly
The crossing-guard stop sign was no match
For the speeding SUV's distracted momentum
The children were fast
Or bounced
But that old man with the reflective vest
Crumpled up like a mosquito
Against the radiator
Over the wreckage
A woman with coffee spilled all over her
Finally hung up
-----
Pulled beards
Were no help
The only thoughts that came out
Of such deliberation were:
"I have a nice beard"
So the silence went on
Each one of us hoping
That someone smarter would speak up
"Very interesting"
Someone started
"I agree"
"Quite a problem"
"Well, the only thing to do about it
I suppose, is to ascertain the Will of the People"
Which was quickly seconded
Passed
And removed from our concerns
-----
Shouted and screamed
I love you
Sounds more like a command
Or a curse
Sounds just like
I hate you
Kicked up a dust storm
Dancing in the desert
So fast and so hard
Like it would bring the rain
Threw off our clothes
Like they would become animals again
Let our skin burn
Like burning was a penance
Like our whiteness, exposed
Could become something else
Something better
We touched like it was forgiveness
For sins we've committed so casually
And with such industry
It doesn’t feel like anything anymore
When the night came
And we lay down in the sand
It got so cold so fast
I thought we'd die
And that we would be sink down
To become seeds
For some grand forest
When morning came
We saw the mess we'd made
And hurt from hung over eyes to broken toe
We drove home
In total silence
-----
That was seen for miles
And this was only seen through the keyhole
I would not expect you to know it
The day the buildings fell in burning ruin
I was just trying to write a resume
Trying to get myself into a job
And I knew
That things were not going to get easier
St. Peter broke the fight up
Using his key like a sword
To smite them both to the ground
And deliver a famous line
From the gospels
Which was the moral of the story
I suppose
Though most of it was fighting
Not found in the bible
In the movie
He was played, appropriately
By professional wrestler
The Rock
-----
John the Baptist had a bloody nose
Sloppy washing after the beheading
But she didn't mind that
She didn't need the souvenir
It was for her mom anyway
Though she had to wonder
How a head was worth
Half a kingdom
And Socrates lost an ear
When the bust hit the marble floor
With a great crack
In the silence of the museum
Docents came running
Like it was Murder
And I put my hands up
Not sure what they'd do
But they rushed to the broken ear
Sending everyone away
While I apologized and apologized
Two weeks later
You couldn't tell the difference
Sometimes I think the artifacts
Are mostly glue
-----
Swallowed whole by the locust eater
One less hungry mouth
In a wave of billions
Not enough
Never enough
But the beak keeps picking them off
A smorgasbord
While it lasts
After all
The famine is riding their heels
-----
After the fight
I never thought I'd talk to him again
Never thought we could see each other
And not immediately start up again
Knowing how wrong he was
How stupid
But somehow when I saw him on the bus
We nodded warily
Mentioned the weather
And never brought it up again
Which, being men
Should not have been surprising at all
-----
Socrates heard crickets everywhere he went
Some defect in his inner ear
I suppose
That's why he was always getting into trouble
Asking what? Why?
Couldn't quite hear people
They thought he was mocking him
At least
That's what I read
On the internet
-----
Quit his philosopher job
At the help desk phone bank
Asking Socrates questions
"Is the computer plugged in?"
"Have you turned it on?"
"Have you tried reinstalling?"
And got a job in voice-over work
For cartoons
And corporate training videos
If Jesus came back today
He'd be the first apostle
And became an exterminator
Of roaches
Of ants
Of mice
And became a consumer
Of donuts
Of pizza
Or hot-dogs
And forgot all about
Algebra
Geography
History
Finally, becoming nothing but
A few numbers
A large, soft corpse
A small box to keep it in
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment