Contradicting an Aphorism – Jacob Stovall

December 3, 2020

The court is awoken
by the sound of birds,
a chorus cheering the prince
as he slits the throat of a lion.
Bells in the square.
You know the court by its beasts,
their talons and beaks.
Swallows,
sparrows and others birds,
the turn of the circle
fresh in the air.

You know the beast by its teeth.
You know the beast by its teeth
and its honeyed thighs.
Lick.
This is paradise,
the pitiless blessing of living.

These are the beasts that preach
of blood and wheels
and the weaving will;
of goats and lambs,
cattle and steer.
This talk of tallow fills our ears.
This is the company we keep.
These are the beasts that speak:
that it’s better to live even
one year as a lion
then any as a sheep.
It’s better not to live at all
than to live one day in the court of beasts.

You know the beast by its teeth.
You will know the beast by the
bitter milk suckled from its breast.
You will know the beast as yourself
and these words pass
so easily from your lips:
This is paradise.