is your heart green like the green lion?
is your first substance the love of God?
do you hear the whispers of heaven?

a man in the Egyptian desert mouth dry
on his back the clay jar filled with papyrus
a red stain on his fore head
sweat dripping down his brow
longing for the cool air of the night
dreaming of flying free from his body
as if he were a black bird

the great bird of paradise spreads its wings
to him his heart is with the cows and horses
to him his love is Anubis the dog
or the feline reclined on the masters throne

is your voice briming over with joy?
is the color of your dreams white or black?
do you bend with the wind
or do you break like a brittle reed?

the man is a slave who rubbed the sand on the stone
day in day out
he polished the granite untill his shoulder ached and swelled
he felt the blows of the masters cane
and he disappeared inside a dream
now the jar upon his back like a babies crib
he hauls words into the future