PARABLE

PARABLE

love once
talked in this place

hard as it is
now
to believe it

holy city on the hill
awash with blood
fallen
to soldiers of
Empire

its legions;
its cruaders

and oh
now through the wire
I hear violins, hear
house music
hear Oompah Bands

see Willie Wonka take
Roger Waters on
a tour
of his factory

pointing out the safety
features, hotly
denying

that this rich sweet
chocolate has anything
about it
remotely intetesting
to cannibals

as he suffers not the children
and the world can attest
to every
delight he deals

love once walked
in this
place

born in bombarded Bethlehem
since
synthesized, appropriated

so much our shame
this love

once
here

in this place