david, musing

it was i who faced the lion and the bear

who gathered the five smooth stones

and the name of the first was hunger

and the name of the second was faith

and the name of the third was lyric

and passion the fourth and the fifth

was the stone of my regret    it was hunger

that brought the gore of the giant’s head

into my hand

the others i fastened under my tongue

for later    for her    for israel    for my sons