Wednesday, 18 May 2016

from Blackwater Quartet, selection 117



Four Last Songs

Leopards break into the temple and drink to the dregs what is in the
sacrificial pitchers; this is repeated over and over again; finally it can
be calculated in advance, and it becomes part of the ceremony.

                                                   — Kafka, Parables and Paradoxes


1. How We Heard The News

The revelation Adam taught his son,
Seth, in the seven hundredth year, saying
large and small passions, signs in the heavens, smart cards,
make sure you are ready.

Of the Mahuzzims, honoured by the King
who doth according to his will,
New! Coming Day of the LORD and the 7th Trumpet
gathering of the elect, after the Tribulation,
Christ.

Dürer’s woodcuts, engravings of Horsemen another fine
Apocalypse.

One in five Japanese believe at least
somewhat in Nostradamus’s prediction,
everyone
to receive a mark, no one to buy or sell unless he had
the name of the beast, the number of his name.
It is man’s number.

After years of study, we at the Ministry are convinced.

The end of this world, the rapture
unveiling.
 
2. Devil

Shake off the Devil, tell the Devil
today he is a liar, he will not take your joy,
your peace, or disturb your spirit.

He is the one who made the following comment.
Dear Dr Freud, where shall I stand
and wait, old man voice
in skinny boy body?

The picture of Donald Duck,
the ambivalence, angel Donald on one shoulder,
devil Donald on the other,
in a manner against his instinct and his will.

The Devil was walking down the road
when, some distance away, he saw a man stoop down,
place something in his pocket.
The fight enters a new phase.

The neighbour brought in something
his wife found,
like curving horns. She said, speak Devil,
that I too may cast spells and work roots!

Red, twelve feet tall, extra ribs, blonde hair,
a thirty five feet wing span, I was just curious,
is it warm where you live?

I live in da desert. Here are my terms:
everything continues until the end.
 
3. Mouthpiece

Japanese bamboo end-blown flute,
as the crack spread along the shaft almost to the mouthpiece,
this time wet cotton string drying,
shrinking.

Every time he says I’m not who I was.

Under the gold and silver plate,
thick nickel, these chemicals leaching into the mouth,
the body every time, as time goes on.

Often buying another mouthpiece,
we want you to wait another month,
officials told him.

Hullo, Edison screamed into the telephone
mouthpiece, this time the nursery rhyme
Mary had a Little Lamb.
Then they moved the needle back.

I looked around once more, then try
keying the button adjacent to my rebreather
mouthpiece.
Time to go.

4. The End of Time

Time is an illusion.
The mystery was unveiled.
An enigmatic cross in the churchyard of a small resort
in the Basses-Pyrenees emerged as a true monument.

You see an old man.
When he notices you, he tips his hat
and smiles softly, says from Jerusalem
between the end of the world and the beginning of the world,
repentance unto Salvation by the Blood of the Lamb.

The pleading, I didn’t think would ever end,
O again, the same thing
happening again, as it was during Noah’s time.

By entering you are stating you have read
the following, understand and agree to these terms.
Two years after the release of his patriotic
Till the End of Time
director Edward Dmytryk was called to testify
before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

End times repentance call.

Near the end of time He will send
the Angel.

I know how the world is coming
to an end. I write this, not as I was.

Dance with me.

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