Pope Petrus Secundus

Pope Petrus Secundus
© Surazeus
2025 12 17

Wandering in cluttered Museum of Fate, 
Pierrot gazes at portraits of dead clowns, 
tears freezing into lucent Pierres de Lune 
that gleam with rainbows trapped in gem of time, 
then pantomimes his tragic comedy, 
pining with love for graceful Columbine. 

Descending in cave of Trophonius 
with cheese wheel, honeycomb, and jar of wine, 
Pierrot searches grim darkness of despair 
through underground of moral prejudice, 
but finds nothing more in cold heart of doom 
than star-eyed lizards on purple mushrooms. 

Holding Torch of Freedom and Book of Tales, 
Columbine searches Museum of Fate 
to find the spirit who had called her name, 
but finds only white mask of Lucifer 
that Pierrot would wear to woo her love, 
so she hangs it in Gallery of Popes. 

Returning from cave of Trophonius 
with Crown of Thorns Jesus wore on the cross, 
Pierrot climbs stairway to the Parthenon 
to offer Janus moonstones as a bribe, 
who ushers him in Museum of Fate 
to find Pope Petrus lounging on the throne. 

Heart beating with desperation of the hawk, 
Columbine runs through endless maze of myths, 
past startled idols of dead popes and kings, 
to enter Hall of Mirrors just in time 
to see Pope Petrus bare sharp vampire teeth 
and leap to attack innocent Pierrot. 

As avatar of the disenfranchised, 
buffoon outside norms of society, 
disillusioned foe of idealism, 
lonely sufferer of symbolic sorrow, 
Pierrot is the alienated observer 
struck by mysteries of the human condition. 

Soaring swift on angelic wings of love, 
Columbine snatches bow from Cupidon 
and fires sharp arrow of Platonic Love 
that strikes undead heart of the vampire pope 
who explodes into frantic butterflies 
that flutter halo round head of Pierrot. 

Crowned Pope Petrus Secundus of Gothinia, 
Pierrot, with Columbine, in red silk robes, 
parades before large cheering crowds of Roma, 
then enters gold-walled Museum of Fate 
where he presides on jeweled Judgment Throne 
just as a meteor strikes the Earth with fire.