One day Li Po's shadow
Remained the same size
While Li Po did the hard work
Of varying his length to match
The angle of the sun's light.
At noon, of course, he vanished.
At dusk's approach, he took advantage
Of being twenty five feet tall
To fix three holes in his roof.
The Prince of Fire
Always wears gloves
His hands are cold as ice.
The Prince of Lies
Has no friends
But his servants love him.
The Prince of Truth
Has long been missing
An angry Princess
Fills in for him.
The Prince of Cats?
There is no Prince of Cats
No matter what he tells you.
The remembered men around the fire
Are one by one replaced
By shadows who shiver in the cold.
Every one of the eleven thousand virgins
Martyred with Ursula is technically a saint
But no one goes around lighting a candle
To any one of them in particular or muttering
"Oh, Virgin Nine Hundred and Four
Be with me now in my hour of need!
Make the dice for just this roll my friends."
This is just as well; Virgin Nine Hundred and Four
Has a life or, I suppose, an afterlife to live
And probably would ignore your prayers
Even if you addressed her by her name
(Which is Margaret-Agathe; her friends --
You think saints don't have friends? --
Call her Agaret or, if they're texting, Ags.)
The square red patch arrives at last;
The warring blues and greens
Smile at each other; yellow sun
Claps her hands with delight.
He doesn't need a lantern
To see His way after
Dancing in the rain but
God carries one because
It's expected of Him
Sobek the Crocodile has lately
Been looking for a room while he
Gets on his feet -- four or them sometimes;
Other times two -- and finds work
Befitting an old but quite tough god
Who can, like most Egyptian gods,
Take on almost any role. He usually plays
A destroyer but has turned his claw
To judging the dead, guiding the Sun boat
And being Lord of the Dance. When Thoth
Was lying doggo, hidden as a tamarind tree,
Sobek stepped in as patron of writing,
Wisdom, the Moon, astronomy, magic,
Measurement and the year's last five days.
He cannot afford much rent but is willing
To perform yardwork, make minor repairs
And perform miracles. He is not hard to contact
Just think of him steadily for a few minutes
Before going to sleep.
References on request.
For contractual reasons the Angel Raphael
Will no longer be appearing in Paradise Lost
Those wishing to have the ways of God
Justified to man are asked to be patient;
While auditions are held. (In an emergency,
Any of the underemployed Egyptian gods will.
For a small fee, fill in. The ferocious Sobek
Is said to be unexpectedly convincing.
Since he's a crocodile no one has asked him
Why he already knew his lines perfectly.)
