5 Hands

The Fifth Hand Baptizes

“Heat”
is as cold as glistening
white-hot stars
burning your retinas
out

from proximity
they burn
if you roll close enough
to them

What is beautiful
Destroys us
For what is beautiful
Is strong

*

The judge
is not named Gabriel

Gabriel is not the judge

The judge is I
Staring

The judge is thou
Revealed

Ahoo
The Caretaker
Ahoo
The Judge
Ahoo
Lahoon
The blood

*

Black dog soldier
Red dog soldier

Stand like pillars
Two

Hot stones in hands
They tend the fire
And heat the stones

Their hands are ancient hands

Revealed metal
You throw away
The ring from the good
One hand

I dip my head and bow out
To pray

The only good thing in this is connection
To the other
And that
Is all around you

It’s true then that the only pain
Is disconnection
From this other

That which is
All around you

Let the rain come down
And the blood, pulsing
Drown out all sounds

I pray
But no

No disconnection

A hand
To forehead
With water
For I am now
Not yet sweating

It rolls down
Soft
As a teardrop

Your daughter’s hand
Cut
It is your own

Your father’s hand
Torn from bone
It is your own

Thinking on this,
I step inside

Thinking on this,
I go alone

Read the Lyric from the Beginning