Grendel In The Shadow Lair

Grendel In The Shadow Lair
© Surazeus
2023 06 23

I swim with Grendel to the shadow lair 
where ghosts of people lost in cyberspace 
dance to the flashing beat of Anywhere 
till I return with strange demonic face, 
so I wear suit and tie to code your dreams 
that flow away in flush of mountain streams. 

At midnight on the stark Manhattan street 
I sing strange hymn about the faceless god 
who teaches me weird magic of the beat 
that leaves me stranded in the college quad 
where children measure angle of the mind 
to prove our brains are angels misaligned. 

I drink old wine from holy grail of faith 
brewed from red mushroom of the secret cave 
where curious seekers of the flaming wraith 
attempt to translate wisdom of the wave 
that rises from dark seas on demon wings 
to bow with reverence when the blind girl sings. 

Her voice enchants my heart with flashing ache 
that emanates from swamp of laughing frogs 
because I seek the honest rattlesnake 
as mental master of transcendent bogs 
so I can find lost valley of the clown 
who plays computer king of Nowhere Town. 

Whichever movie you decide to watch 
on which you base religion of the fool 
your words mismatch your actions that may botch 
state program funded by the Golden Rule 
because Tiresias claims both gender roles 
for eager children circling old Maypoles. 

I visit Grendel in museum hall 
to find the real lost Key of Solomon 
where he stores skulls of prophets on the wall 
to legalize his rule of Avalon 
which proves Orpheus and Hamlet were real 
and not bland metaphors for how I feel. 

Though cosmic herald waits on Bridge of Hope 
for Melusine to come with rings of power 
we mortal humans still must learn to cope, 
helped by blind Sibyl in the Ivory Tower 
who casts her bread on waters of soul birth 
when we elect her Empress of the Earth. 

I hang with Grendel in the shadow lair 
to watch world history on the silver screen 
in tragic tales that prove life is not fair 
for we must fight against the greed machine 
to map our long and winding road of fate 
as individuals organized by state.