Dream Song #17

They took my body to the forest
They asked me to climb a ladder

I did not want to climb a ladder
But they forced me to climb the ladder

If you don’ t climb the ladder
we will bury you in the foamy mud

I had to decide: should I die
by hanging or by burial

I climbed the ladder and they wrapped
a belt around the thick limb of a tree

And then when I could no longer breathe
they tossed me into a stream

And I floated to the edge of the village
where someone prayed for my soul

It’ s like this in a lullaby
for the end of the world:

The options for the end
are endless

But this is not really a lullaby
for the end of the world

It’ s about the beginning
what happens when we start to rot

in the daylight
The way the light shines on

the ants and worms and parasites
mauling our bodies

It’ s about the swarms of dogs
gnawing our skin and bones

Do you know what it’ s like
when a ghost licks your intestines

Do you know what it’ s like
when a rat devours your brain

To avoid the hole
the children must sing sweetly, softly

To avoid the hole
they must fill their songs with love