Chris Edwards

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THE SET-UP

And he said to his disciples: “See here,
fishy thou art and fishy thou shalt remain,
at least while my . . . my father’s in charge.”
Whereupon they said back to him: “Luddite!
Drink and be merry!” And he looked up,
and saw gifts in the treasury.
      Then there arose a great reasoning among them
planting and building house and barn, and the body
what ye shall put on. They said
to him: “Son, remember the days of torment.”
Doth he thank them several times? Dogs
licked his good bits, and all the beasts
of the field.

“AND THE . . .”

And the Luddite spoke to Mr Mouse
and the little ones, saying the name of the place
per adventure a rock in Horeb
found it, he layeth it on his
brother, three cubits of
thousands of hands and feet
and division between my people
     The generations now
are many
they cry, saying
neither shalt thou counterbalance
also “thou shalt not oppress a stranger
nor dwell in their land.” If thou serve their gods,
Mr Mouse will stretch out his hand and drive
them heavily unto thee, Extinction.
It was easier for a camel yet
Mr Mouse did so.

DIG IN

Now, concerning the instructions
“Flee fornication” and “But if the unbelieving
depart,” remember this: ye may give yourselves
to a feast, but the profit will be
gloriously corrupt good manners,
e.g. when he says “You are not
      your own?” and ye
dig in, partakers, unto edification.
Such an abundance of revelations
should be exalted, fool, he continues,
lest there be debates, backbitings, whisperings,
swellings—whereby one takes pleasure in
infirmity and so on—no thanks
to you, salvation.

APPROX.

And it came to pass – the end of the world,
regular as clockwork: every thirty million
ups and downs, approx., through astro-rubble,
then home to a gnashing of teeth
and that fat son-of-a-bitch
      “Oh ye of little water . . .”
Life, lack I yet? You can keep
the commandments, indicating
heaven. Among thorns is thy field?
You are here to go: thus
spake Gysin.