JOHN THE BAPTIST REPEATS THE LEGEND

Before my birth, my father could not speak.
When I cracked light, words jumped from his throat.
Like manna heaven-driven, his tongue thundered:
"This is John, John!
He will reverse the earth's spin-
Last of the old, first of the new."

My mother and her cousin Mary rejoice.
I open my eyes to the darkness of their smiles.
They are unaware of the discord sown,
The weeping they will reap.

HEROD ON HEARING JOHN'S LEGEND

There's no magic, no blessing in birth.
John has suffered delusions from an early age.
The dropping of an infant matters less
Than a drop of rain in the desert.

There's nothing here but a peculiar madness,
One that unnerves me. This tethered beast
Now seems harmless enough,
Insisting still on false promise,
Old wives' lies. Some cousin as king.

I'll fix him, vex him beyond grief.