OTHER TIMES

Things have always been as they are

But when they weren’t, Pierrot was a saint

And Jerome a strolling player. Pierrot

Did his best to translate the Bible

But, knowing no Latin, only into languages

No one understood. When he finally produced

Strings of ones and zeroes, we improvised

And had Ada Byron born centuries too early.

This was probably a mistake; we’re not perfect;

Visigoths with computers are terrifying.

Jerome was good at loving hopelessly

But was not otherwise much of an actor

His lion, too, was always underfoot and once

Chased Columbine up a tree. (In any reality

Jerome has a lion. God only knows why –

At least I assume He does). When Pierrot visits

He remains silent, as he has now for centuries

And Jerome translates the silence without flaw.