terracotta jawbone hinges
grimacing insectoid mouthparts
cheeks of ivory
and a copper brow
with two ebony sockets for eyes
and an olive branch in its mandible

on the left-
one glorious black seraphim wing extends
casting a shadow as long as the bible

its right hand-
crooks a finger beckoning an emptied palm
the sound of an invisible coin pinging on the floor

as the pigs mill
between indolence and furor
their schism adheres to unspoken tenets

and it goes on
and it goes on
and it goes on