She Said

The fog is thick upon the waves this night The bireme has no eyes with which to see Who is to slake Poseidon's thirst What is the sailors' fate to be The medicines bind eyelids open Staying the siren song of sleep Pressed powders keep alight The fervent searchlight of the mind As moths rattle against it And dance within its beam The Lady of the Evening Star stepped gingerly Where nature's wet nurse dared not tread She spoke in fleeting images of starlit golden eyes She said The certitude of safe repose Is an illusion that you keep It can be helpful to suppose But when it breaks, you must not weep She spoke in gentle sounds of rubbing lapis beads Fear not the flames devouring your world When evergreen forests burn They leave behind their seeds In the spilled blood of thousands she proclaimed Such is the scarlet cost For each invention and taboo and stratagem Takes root upon the ashes of the lost And in the sacred flushing of the naked flesh she said Whenever man takes his beloved to the marriage bed Or when he lusts for judgement from a woman warrior instead In those sweet times when mists of carnal want descend upon his head He worships me though he knows not my name And if he does, and thinks himself so wise My lap's delight I give him just the same For ravenous, righteous worship at my thighs Is sacrament to make his murderous manhood just and tame The Lady of the Morning Star Adorned in each new golden ray Spoke in rose and gold and blue As morning heralded the day The fires will burn The cold will bite The sea will not forgive But know that when your time is nigh The Earth, all told, will live