Read Inconveniences Rightly Considered Page 15

I. The Magazine

  Mantegna's weeping echos in our gorge

  of thorax swollen, rigor mortis sets

  Mary and John, their teardrops bulge and barge

  into our world, mourning the shepherd's death.

  Glow and shadow, sun and shade remain

  upon dead center: holy genitals.

  Phillipe de Champaigne brings muscled thorns,

  Carracci lays down tongs that just pulled spikes

  Bellini lifts the herder's head to block

  the gorge's landscape – still it looks so... cross.

  Strozzi says, "How young he seems. A fetus

  thirty-three years old who died."

  "By torture," Manet adds, "You see the eyes?

  He will not close his eyes.

  He will not close his eyes.

  He will not close his eyes.

  He will not close his eyes.

  He will not close his eyes."

  III. Conversatio

  Did you like the poem?

  Yes I knew him.

  We're closer to the body, now,

  so close...

  I don't want to tell the story,

  just read on,

  occupy yourself:

  I. The Magazine

  Oh sure, there's other mourners here in line.

  Giovanni and his angels,

  not a one of them know what to do

  what to do

  what to do next,

  they stare at each other,

  Sabbath-like, in fact,

  as they hold our lovely little Jewish shepherd king.

  III. Conversatio

  A friend of a friend and that is enough, just read:

  I. The Magazine

  Gregorio's here, "Why the knees?" he begs

  "They didn't need to scrape and skin his knees!"

  III. Conversatio

  Yes, okay, his name was

  Austin. Austin Freeman,

  is that enough?

  Will you leave me alone?

  I. The Magazine

  Mazzola brings his young quadruplets up

  both boys are nekked

  two little wee-wees

  two little girls in tu-tus

  all four hold the corpse.

  "It's stiff," they say, "and cold."

  "Move along," Mazzola says, "and move alone."