mantle gods

ah, i cursed myself,
upset deep magic, offended some
hard, cold, Universal law
--well, these things happen.
there's nothing we can do.

i ran afoul, see: mocked a charlatan
protected by steep vows--
irony, how he disbelieved in them,
but oh! they believed in him!
and i (fool) trusted neither.

Plato, too, questioned the gods:
why do we need such over-men?
is it for Truth? serve Truth
herself! ah, but no, no, no.
innocent philosopher:

we need the gods!
not for Truth, but deliverance
from evil! for without gods,
who shall fell all other gods
on our behalf?

and i: a stupid under-man,
no mantle gods to defend my clumsy reach
or even stay my hand. i struck
a fool's blow and staggered back,
leering, aghast, self-cursed.




april '10
july '09