That Night

The night when Ghengis Khan met Cousin Hugh
And Auntie Dilys blasted off for Mars,
Down by the rail yard, back of B&Q,
We stole away between the abandoned cars
And found a place and sat for hours talking.
That was the night we knew that we were wicked,
The night Mongolian squadrons pillaged Dorking,
The night we dared to see each other naked.
They gave the shopping precinct to the flames
While Auntie Dilys learned to play galactic
Scrabble with the sixty secret names
Of God in Standard Martian and in Coptic.
That was the night you taught me how to kiss,
On such a night, on such a night as this.

God of Earth and God of Iron,
God of Fire and God of Fear,
God of Truth and God of Lying,
God of Living, God of Dying,
God of Sword and God of Spear,
God of Zara, God of Zion,
God of There and God of Here,
God of Kent and Worcestershire,
God of Sorrow, God of Cheer,
God of Leopard, God of Lion,
God of Marduk and Orion,
God of Never, God of Near,
See my prayer like smoke arisen,
Free my wishes where they wizen,
Be the soul of my malison,
Soon, soon, soon.

God of Water, God of Witches,
God of Air and God of Words,
God of Hedges, God of Ditches,
God of Irks and God of Itches,
God of Beetles, God of Birds,
God of Butchers, God of Bitches,
God of Vocals, God of Surds,
God of all Diminished Thirds,
God of Karshish and of Kurds,
God of Scant and God of Riches,
God of Nooses, God of Hitches,
God of Hermits, God of Herds,
Take a heart that fears to fly now,
Wake a heart that wants to die now,
Make a heart one piece of sky now,
Soon, soon, soon.

John Whitworth

If you've any comments on this poem, John Whitworth would be pleased to hear from you.

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