the prophet
came to me
with a poor man’s tale
of his one ewe lamb
sworn to him by seven
pieces of gold
and a tale of the greed
of a rich man
hungry for not his own
supper
who stile that lamb
and i in my arrogance
did swear by the fate
of my house and kingdom
vengeance
oh the crack in my heart
when the prophet tolled
david
thou art the man
Lucille Clifton, from The Terrible Stories, Slow Dancer Press, 1998.
With thanks to John Harvey.
