Entry Of The King

Night: her sable dome scattered with diamonds Fused my dust from a light year Squeezed me to her breast, sowed me with carbon Strung my warp across time Gave me each a horse, sunrise and graveyard Told me only I was her Bid me face the east closed me in questions Built the sky for my dawn Cleaned my feet of mud, followed the empty Zebra ride to the cirkus Past a painted cage, spoke to the paybox Glove which wrote on my tonque Pushed me down a slide to the arena Megaphonium fanfare In his cloak of words strode the ringmaster Bid me join the parade "Worship!" Cried the clown, "I'm a TV" "Making bandsmen go clockwork" "See the slinky seal cirkus policeman" "Bareback ladies have fish" Strongmen by his feet, plate-spinning statesman Accrobatically juggling Bids his tamers go quiet the tumblers Lest the mirror stop turning Elephants forgot, force-fed on stale chalk Ate the floors of their cages Strongmen lost their hair, paybox collapsed and Lions sharpened their teeth Gloves raced round the ring, stallions stampeded Pandemonium seesaw I ran for the door, ringmaster shouted "All the fun of the cirkus!"

The Dance of the Puppets The rusted chains of prison moons Are shattered by the sun. I walk a road, horizons change The tournament's begun. The purple piper plays his tune, The choir softly sing; Three lullabies in an ancient tongue, For the court of the crimson king. The keeper of the city keys Put shutters on the dreams. I wait outside the pilgrim's door With insufficient schemes. The black queen chants The funeral march, The cracked brass bells will ring; To summon back the fire witch To the court of the crimson king. The gardener plants an evergreen Whilst trampling on a flower. I chase the wind of a prism ship To taste the sweet and sour. The pattern juggler lifts his hand; The orchestra begin. As slowly turns the grinding wheel In the court of the crimson king. On soft gray mornings widows cry The wise men share a joke; I run to grasp divining signs To satisfy the hoax. The yellow jester does not play But gentle pulls the strings And smiles as the puppets dance In the court of the crimson king.