Eight Times Seventeen

Eight times seventeen puts out the lights;
Sixty burning bridges see the sky.
Laugh out loud for all the birds to see
And let your yards hang down from under high.

This last bend in seeming lasts to one,
And only wants to list the ways to lie;
Do the furtive timing till it’s done,
And let the earth breathe fire while we die.

Werewolves prowl the darkness underground.
Bats seek out the light from out of lives.
All the people look to out for prayers.
All that’s left is failure to survive.

Creatures crawl and dawdle over trash;
Let their hands lie burning under forks.
Whatever else the dying burden asks,
Replace his outward singing with your
Alabaster sighs.