SUPPLICANTS

by Nevada Kerr


Eunuch cripples without eyes
Dejected and demoralized
Sever flesh and earthly ties
Maim and lame and paralyze

Bodies burn and crinkle
Bony fingers scrub
Mournful thighs mix and mingle
Like twitching twilight grubs

Flagellants draw blood
Demented hermits linger
They grovel in the mud
Eager for the stinger

Eroding toward collapse
The rasping lovers grumble
The grim heads on their laps
Too bloated for the humble

Disciples grasp the holy rite
Of sanctified self-sacrifice
Genuflecting day and night
They pay a high price
For the bread of life


Written by © Raven Drake
April 30, 2006.

Created: July 2006 © Paul Kinder

Last Updated: 12/7/06