Noah’s Ark
On Noah’s Ark slept two of every animal.
And as the shepherd of all shepherds’ kept God’s kingdom afloat,
the feud between Sheep and Wolf —
Lion and Gazelle, Frog and Fly—
stopped, as suddenly as an earthquake.
(I imagine they knew — some way, somehow —they were all that was left;
perhaps they were told through the tides’ whisper, which echoed the chamber halls
or the startling sound of the ferocious waves lapping their vessel,
or perhaps, there was simply a divine intuition amongst them.)
The days went by,
and their faith in safety grew stronger.
So, rather than fearing their demise,
they grew bitter, bitter for the fate of their fallen kingdom.
Suddenly, the wise Raven started to express himself.
The Raven spoke, “I believe God has defiled his own creation with such an iniquitous flood,
for God did not contemplate all the variables, for what about the guilt which burdens all who remain;
or in my opinion — all who are left behind?”
The Elephants agreed, blowing their trunks.
The Dog tried to defend Noah, but the animal kingdom did not listen to such foolish loyalty.
The Hyenas, inspired by the Ravens’ words, desired “further…elaboration,”
And so the Raven ranted on.
Soon enough, the world’s animals began calling themselves “The Kingdom’s Remains.”
The Lion quickly groomed his mane with pride once more. He said, “A true king falls with its kingdom.”
The Hyenas snickered, flourishing in the brewing anarchy.
The Dog began to pant. The Chicken pecked the floor as if he’d gone mad and thought himself a woodpecker.
The whole kingdom began to wail in uproar…except the Dove,
for as much as her feathers were silk, her heart was humbling limestone.
(for the Dove is born with the knowledge of its truth.)
She spoke, “Peace can only thrive in new beginnings.”
Everyone continued to roar, except the Raven,
for the Raven knew this was not the Dove agreeing with his words.
“Shut up!” yelled the Raven.
And all fell silent — as sudden as an earthquake.
The Dove continued, “Peace can only thrive in new beginnings,
but new beginnings will walk old paths if blinded from their origin.”
And while some of the fallen kingdom lay dumbfounded (like the Chicken)
many were shocked, and the Raven understood his error.
The Raven repented, for the blood in his black wings knew he had defied God,
He vowed to never speak again, for his words misled a bright future during the birth of remembrance,
and so he swooped out the ark window and flew away.
The Dove worried for the Raven, her eyes fixed upon the horizon
as she held one of his black feathers in her beak.
And after many hours, the Raven returned with the branch of an olive tree,
and while the rest of his kingdom slept, the Raven bowed,
and gifted the olive branch to the Dove.
