THE SAVIOR IN MOTION

Thanks to C. Arellano

GENESIS: 1.0

It began with the taking.
A grey lump of soil
sprinkled with saliva,

pressed into form by thumbs,
shaping eyes that will soon
see the coming

of the fall.
The graceless, grim god towers
over the valley, knowing

the sheep will rut this season, soon
the fatted calf will be killed.
He decrees:

To appease the lord thy god, let
run the gravel with blood
of toads and children.

Crucify the covenant,
condemn the pact,
kill your enemies

In their beds. After the fall,
the chosen people of a vengeful god
proceeded into the world.

They multiplied. With
memories of paradise kept alive
by prophets and madmen,

spurred by the promise of everlasting life,
They set sail

in search of gold and glory and god
into the darkest recesses

of yet unexplored
continents and island

to plunder and kill
and kill again.

REVELATION: 1.1

The anthems of crises and struggles
ring furiously across open lands
and sweep over intractable seas.
The futility of fighting wars
where odds are stacked against the fighter from the start
makes the body crumble
before natural decay takes place.

Fear bloodthirst, famine, fear itself
always ready, always close at hand.

Look now at the middle lands
where once, it was prophesied
that a blue prince would arise,

uniting remote bands.
Witness and tremble
that it has come to this:

Blood for land
Blood for heritage
Blood for righteousness.

Look further into memory.
See the world come to an end,
the glorified allied machines

clash with the axis that grinds with divine winds.
Hear them, the suicide screams.
Look further back

To the slaughter in the middle passage,
to the trails of tears and blood and sweat
the toil of a million hands

for king cotton and king cane.
Look here, now

Amnesia.


THE PSALMS: 1.0

Though we walk through time
and pretend we're invincible,
deep cuts inflicted upon birth
and tremors from within,
threaten to tear our bodies apart.

Despair is incurable.

We are, but children of our parents,
and their parents before them;
and before them,
to the original who created the sin,
the one who forged that one, infallible flaw.

The mistake was in the creation.

But sing now the praises of god,
disguise the thought,
be still.

THE GOSPELS: 1.0

There beyond the mountains,
immutable sentries of age-old lives,
he stands as if guarding his belly,
hands splayed just below the navel,
fingers entwined.

He's deep in thought. But what does a seer see in his mind's eye?
What does it mean to stand there against a backdrop of majesty, and
look as if the slaughter has just begun?

He turns away with the quickness of wind,
throws his arms up to the sky.

Silence.