Another Noah, or Shrine of the Libertines

And God made the firmament,

and divided the waters under

the firmament from the waters above

the firmament: and it was so.

—Genesis 1:7

Your love of fur &

fowl

was much more than

heresy, beyond

apostasy,

clinching the trophied

antlers

in your arms, begging

a buck’s forgiveness,

claiming that it felt

as much as we,

cared for sons & daughters

& the sick, grieving

every passing

like a drenching

burst of cloud;

saying nothing’s

upside-down

amid the stars,

you’re grounded

while you’re upright

on your head, your ears

a pair of eyes—or maybe they’re

a 2nd

tongue & mouth,

screaming they can

do much more than

see—

a human who is

sacrificed

for lambs, a lion

roaring prayers

up to the Sun on

our behalf, humbly

laying aside

his golden mane,

knowing birds are

really fish,

wings but fins

which skim the

waves above us,

and the prophets

had been right about

divides,

the sheen of

firmament,

keeping the seas

apart,

lest we know that

lungs are gills,

heads are tails

no matter how they’re

flipped

into the air.

Andreas Gripp

June 30, 2025

RF Image / Hunter Lewis