a nervous laugh, a break the ice moment

and more ice came within, does he know?

onlookers remain placid, unreadable, each posturing

away till the topics became more erratic,

flamboyant, riddled with meanings between words,

scratch me the cat waltzes by, pressing it’s keen body closely

to the ice, it likes the ice for it meant independence, untrust worthy

all traits the cat applauded: predator, insightful, preening away

then the sleight of hand gives a hiccup, belching rather loudly

and the babies awaken crying for milk. but milk is far away,

the women are off partying a few towns off – – – didn’t quite even catch

the name, another blunder comes about as a man falters on his words,

sweat beads down for across him sits a policeman, a judge, a prosecutor

all seemingly aloof, too aloof, which is why he knows this is a trap,

they’re coming for him, words spill out, he tries to catch his wits

but nerves got the better, ain’t my fault he wanted to say, the damp prison

cells seem to loom and a nurse catches his arm, are you quite all right?

meanwhile a doctor is gazing at him, smiling subtly, offers some good old

wisdom in situations like this, like pants falling off? the strangers ascend like

angels, 144,000 got saved, will not burn, another cup crashes on the ground,

splatters red ink, dribbles to form patterns, sigils, a hierophant disperses the images

forming in his mind till the clarity is stark: he wasn’t part of the uplifted, the ones

to be doomed, he had the mark of the beast, that is all hearsay said the gentle

woman behind him who reminded the man of a time when his head was less foggy,

eh what, say what witch? a voice whispers in his ears and the woman

grinned, shimmered and descended into red markings within walls,

no, no, no his breath is shallow, quick, hyperventilates, while concerned eyes

try to gleam inside, the ice that is only icebergs, more icebergs, all his thoughts

merged into the unconscious, emotions unsettled, damn passions arising suddenly

when he finally sits down, takes a puff, gives out a fart. the policeman left the scene,

out through the revolving doors, a riot takes place, a burning, a stake unmade

rewind: unwind, uncork, ease up the tension with a migraine hitting suddenly

then a drunkard wakes up by the side of a road, finds himself ascending

with wings of angels, he made it! loots were taken, absorbed, observed,

absolved, retained, every cherished memory written into the heart of the man

still muttering of lost sigils and a kindly woman who made an effort to push him

away from riots that hurtled flames, flashes, light, light, darkness too

the wine must have stronger than usual and the bright shine in the sky

seemed to call out, to whisper, of angels that left the world behind.