by Robert Levine

Created on: November 09, 2011

ANTI-ARMAGEDDON

1

The Beast of Babylon duped

his people, claiming to reign and fight

to serve an image of One

who has no face.  He gathered all nations

to war against him.

He seemed to steal G-d’s wrath.

His enemies knew he had made

those he hated drop dead

instantly while walking in the street

or had spread sores over their flesh.

Some dug under the ground to hide.

Stars fell from the sky in the east—

most exhausted their flame

before landing, but a few hit

the desert and scorched it more.

The sea turned black, spitting

tar-smeared fish and birds onto its coast.

2

The angels of the nations burned the Beast’s

land into a lake of smoke

and sulfur, grappled with him and captured him,

rested him on a tall rock in its middle

to breathe unspoiled air, and flew away.

When the fire subsided,

those of his people who would not love him

rose against him, trapping him

to his north and south;

he trampled them like grapes until

their blood dyed his feet maroon.

3

The greatest angel of the nations allowed

the Beast to rule another dozen years—then suddenly

regretted leaving the Beast

alive.  He craved carrying home

the Beast’s ten horns and seven heads as trophies.

Only when he found the Beast again

did he remember he had lopped off

six of the Beast’s heads and broken all ten

horns when they first met, watching them burn.

After the greatest angel slit the Beast’s remaining

throat, demons in the shape

of armored locusts swarmed out of the wound

over the angel’s body, wings, and sword,

stinging eternally with scorpion tails

for killing the Beast before or after his time ran out.

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