The Fable of the Two Animals

It was on the horizon the sun congealed
And withered below the parting of blues.
The philosopher sits on his deck.
Red and gold mix in his mind. He has a wife.
She is a bird, and he is a dragon.
The breath of the dragon lights the sky.
The ancient drums, the chanting of monks;
They brought out Heaven from his tomb
Of fire. And the chanting - they are dressed
In red and gold. Their heads are shaven. They are ancient.
It is old. It is a dragon, union of wonder and terror,
Risen from the chanting of the ancient monks.
The dragon is new. He is the inferno.
He is the halo. God is of fire. Always.
The philosopher, the dragon, the halo lit the sun
With the fire of his breath.
Bird was the sun. She was the angel.
The sun is dying because it is not red.
It is fire, but not red, and cannot live
Longer, for wanting.
The philosopher was a doctor.
His bird was dying. He let her die.
6/2/2002