The Fenris Coughs

Fenris is the child of Loki and Angrboda. The name of the chain is Gleipnir (deceive or entangler). It was made of the footstep of a cat, the roots of a mountain, a woman’s beard, the breath of fishes, the sinews of a bear and the spittle of birds. Fenris was chained by this wisp of magic to a rock a mile under the earth. The name of the rock is Gioll (scream). In the end, Fenris will break the chain and roam Midgård during Ragnarok.

3. The Fenris Coughs

I just heard the Fenris’ guttural cough:

On this, the Nordic vision is very clear:

"Wars and rumors of wars" are not enough:

Three Finbul Winters in three consecutive years

must first appear before he breaks his chain.

(The silver chain the dwarves wove and forged.

The magic chain which binds the wolf in pain

as Tyr leaves his arm in the Fenris’ gorge!)

But on such a summerly day as we have today,

how can anyone lend to such dreams any credence?

There are many games afoot and many who play

with our hearts, our minds and souls with no pretense

except a mask of righteousness ensconced

behind a pack of lies and flatulence!

Greater than Pestilence

[Starting with the final line of the opening sonnet, the Unknown Poet of the Third Galaxy plays with idea that perhaps 4 horsemen for the Apocalypse is, so to speak, "overkill"]

2. Greater than Pestilence

Has War become greater than Pestilence?
How odd!
Do the Four Horsemen now compete?
For what prize do they strive to show their excellence?

A crown of shit?
A diadem of rotting meat?

What strategy will Famine now employ?
Will Disease pull out of his sleeve some tactical trick?
Will Death reunite with his own true joy?

(And will the winner be able to make his victory stick?)

Those are sick questions to have to ask, are they not?
Do we really need to have four Horsemen at all?
Could we not get by with One?
Or would that ruin the "plot"?

Two bites from one apple were enough for one Fall
One Horseman for us all, wouldn't that be enough?

I just heard the Fenris' guttural cough!

Dogs Barking - 1

[Dear hearts, yet another sonnet corona which I discovered in 2nd level footnotes to the Absolute Truth, 21st Edition - obviously, this is the work of the Unknown Poet of the Third Galaxy]

1. Dogs Barking

We woke because we heard the dogs barking...
We thought it was nothing...

We should have known better!

All too soon, we heard the sound of soldiers' harking,
spitting in the cold, damp, misty damp weather!

I called them soldiers - but that is not what they were:
scoundrels, mercenaries, killers for hire!

It was obvious what would all too soon occur:
a night of pillage and rape and our village on fire...

This was the time of the War of a Hundred Years...
Or was it Seven or Thirty...?

I never could get the numbers straight!

All I know for sure is we harvested tears,
that the root of war is planted in greed and hate.

But we're better today - we kill from great distance
and War has become greater than Pestilence!

Midterm

Even here in the Happy Little Kingdom we have been awash with effluvia from talking heads and intensely excited experts as to the "meaning" of the media-hyped event that made professional wrestling look like a high school prom.

I give you, free of charge, the meaning which, although it contains words of three syllables, even Ronald Rexona could (sort of) understand:

The United State of Arrogance - The Best Democracy Money Can Buy!!!