Together On Mount Horeb

Together On Mount Horeb
© Surazeus
2025 02 21

When Bacchus climbs Mount Horeb at midnight, 
he finds no bush burning in silent snow 
so he sets the old television tube 
on broken tablets of the ancient law 
to watch Chinese legend of the White Snake, 
and sighs in love with the shy graceful maid. 

Startled by rustling in the nearby bush, 
Bacchus investigates with the flashlight, 
thinking to find a ram with vine-snared horns, 
but finds instead the angel Gabriel 
drunk on wine Varuni gave him to drink, 
and mumbles he is obsessed with her beauty. 

Drinking wine together on Mount Horeb, 
Bacchus and Gabriel compare love notes 
about their girls, Varuni and Bai Suzhen, 
arguing over which is more beautiful, 
but laugh and decide to become best friends 
as snow covers their television set. 

When Eos brings dawn light of pink despair, 
Bacchus and Gabriel wake with headaches, 
hungover from drinking way too much wine, 
but they both gasp with embarrassed surprise 
to find their girlfriends by the burning bush 
cooking rabbit and mushroom stew for breakfast. 

Glaring at their boyfriends with loving eyes, 
Varuni and Bai Suzhen give them bowls 
of hot rabbit stew, which warms up their hearts, 
then all four walk together down the trail 
with new mission to find the Holy Grail, 
but first they stop for lunch at the hotel. 

Seated as loving couples, they hold hands, 
Bacchus with Bai Suzhen on the one side, 
Gabriel with Varnuni on the other, 
and, when Jesus waits their table, they order 
cheese hamburgers and french fries with root beer, 
then eat as they watch World Cup soccer games. 

After they drive to Niagara Falls, 
the four university best friends pose 
for selfies and group photos that highlight 
fun summer vacation on their road trip 
exploring American national parks, 
then post them on their social media sites. 

Sitting around bright campfire at midnight 
in the Joshua Tree National Park 
under bright Milky Way Galaxy stars, 
they share stories about their younger lives, 
then talk about secret plans for the future, 
how they want to found the new world religion.