His eye rolled heavenward
& the gods looked down
& laughed & the moon
looked down & mocked
& the sun looked down
in a hat & the sky rocked
a lullaby in the tree tops

& his eye rolled downward
where myriad stars drowned
where the lights went out
& the roar & silence grew
hard as he walked tip toe
the tight rope with no hands
hung between trapeze splits.
Gift of Tongues