1350 AD

i remember the hour
when only rich men could possess fish
because the legs of fish
were too expensive for common people
to polish

i remember
the taste
of gold paint
on my tongue

merlin asked us to construct his castle of air
we all breathed in and out
then out and in
then exhaled mightily
and the countryside flickered
and the film began

i remember
silver tunics on mice
rats dressed in black
with white lacquered crucifixes at their necks
i remember     the fleet river
carrying its tribute of dead garbage bags to the thames

i hold a lantern
the link between your sinews:
are you the link
between pieces of cloth?

his teeth fizz
as he contemplates
the immanent death
of several articles of clothing

from Twisted History (1999)