mad john
from insanity yes
but by virtuosity
or faith
we earn no grace
it comes of chaos
is born of catastrophe
like a grassfire at midnight
creating a simple desert
grace descends
as a fumbled penny
and rolls ten feet
to rest on edge—a miracle
no less
and no cameraman present
paradise lost
as one hour later
with the feat attempted
one hundred times
and failed ninety-nine
a crowd gathers to hoot
the madman
pocketing his penny: vide
mad john
the wings of locusts
making a rainbow fan
of his honey-soaked beard
clawing in fury at
jehovah’s mask
uncut hair lashing
at his naked waist
disclosing with a single note
the desert’s secret: fire!
he screams: fire!
and at the river’s bank
receiving a simple prophet’s privilege:
after my bath john
you may see to my shoes…
and it’s duck! boys, hit it!
who saw it dive?
a kamikaze pigeon!
it is miracle enough
enough of a sign: here is a man
who has known the madness
of a simple grace
who spits out upon leaving
a leg bent for leaping
with a four-letter oath:
fire! and turns to the desert
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