What a number they danced upon his head!
Four days entombed, Eleazar,
Struck down from the pinnacle of youth by some
Wicked and loathsome disease.
Four days enwrapped in the now
Soiled and befouled linens of the tomb, the flesh
Crawling with maggots, the blood clotted and
Seething with prolific intestinal microflora, spilling
Lytic enzymes across anaerobic tissues.
And then, without warning, the sparkling gem of one's own
Shining and radiant spirit, called back from
The glory of wondrous lights and angelic choirs into
A decaying carcass of blind, material man!
Mary and Martha rejoiced, as well they might, but
Eleazar? Who considered the experience from
His point of view? Ah, yes, a trampling number
They danced upon his head, and Eleazar could
Never be the same again. All of his fellow
Suspicious and stupefied Jews forever coming round,
Staring in rapt fascination, reaching out
To touch the hem of his frock. They sent him to
Cyprus and elevated his status, but Eleazar
Ever after sought out sweets for his meals, the better
To dispel the haunting memory of death which he'd
Tasted so well, that always dwelt on the back of his tongue and
Slithered along the depths of his brainpan. He could not
Be what we might ordinarily call sane again.
He was a holy man until the day that
Eleazar died one time again.
20090810
Bethany's Own Eleazar
Copyright © 2009 Ernest Bloom.
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The depiction of the dead Eleazar was strikingly vibrant(interval for laughter). No, but seriously- the words rolled off my tongue very gracefully. The vision of Eleazar's spirit being pulled down forcibly from the bacchanal parties, halos and flourish of Heaven onto Earth by those stupefied Jews felt truly comical(I don't know if this was intended).
ReplyDelete"Shining and radiant spirit, called back from
The glory of wondrous lights and angelic choirs into
A decaying carcass of blind, material man!"
These lines so fantastically captured the true filth and horror of being galvanized from the tranquility of eternal rest back into the filth and horror of life.
I really enjoyed this piece, it felt fresh and lively.
"Four days entombed, Eleazar." I don't know what it is about this line that entices me so, but it's wonderful and catchy, nonetheless. :)
ReplyDeletewhat's the ethics of sucking lazarus out of bliss and plunging him back into the dirty, obscured world of four dimensions? and why doesn't it occur to anyone to pose this question, which seems so obvious? imagine the personal embarrassment, and the endless jokes about the odor.
ReplyDelete