Hymn of the Angels of Dust Verse One: Arietta of the Wanderers Angels in burlap and big heavy trenchcoats with fire-brimmed eyes and surreal speech, phosphorescent-usurping hands that reach into chests and with the touch of sunrays warm their hearts, With soot-coated wings and ashy robes – once white, once pure, fell from Heaven with tsunami crashes – feathers broken in shame and hanging from melancholy wings wrapped in mock-angelic glory around the slumped shoulders of the wanderers, Cherubim singing the funeral requiem as these ministers of grime stalk the angry streets in search of love and redemption & peace eludes them like a phantom, hiding in shadows and potholes, Town after town passes under their eyes with wings dragging and heavy feet transporting Kansas to Dallas to Mexico City to Denver to New York to California to Atlanta and back again, Soft green/ brown eyes that glow softly with the light of holy intentions and lost directions, shedding comfort from righteous bulbs upon the weary and homesick traveler – the lonely mournful lover – Lonely prophets on a quest to save the world – from ignorance, hatred, anger, apathy – unable still to save themselves from the fear and desolation in their hearts, Love is their bread, faith their cup, soiled angels, as human as the rest of us – guilty of love in a time where love is no longer accepted, no longer allowed – Outcast and forlorn, heavenly vagabonds, victims of convenience and metallic-empty-loudspeaker voices and the religion of science that the masses so love to bow to, Lord, bless these sooty saints! The last of a world that has so easily forgotten to believe – truth love hope joy peace – a mechanical people whose joints and minds and consciences are rusting – Lord, send some holy WD-40 – the milk of the breast of the virgin Mary, the sweat of the brow of Abraham, the blood of the Savior Jesus Christ – cleanse the rusty hearts souls minds of the world! Chorus: O Sacred Science Oh Blessed Biology! How great thou art! With thy chorus of hold heartbeats breathing groaning singing! Save us with thy eucharist of flesh bone blood! Oh Holy Physics! Have mercy on us! Saint Newton give us peace – give us wisdom in the form of objectivity, Almighty Einstein – open our eyes to the truths of blind acceptance, Oh Sanctified Chemistry! In all your majesty! The sacred altar of test-tube racks and acid/ base mixtures, holy poisons – a new Creator – invention and discovery are the greatest goods! Oh Divine Technology! Sweet, graceful Machine! Singing the strange sweet psalm of automation and churning metal, we bow to thee, oh Most High! Keep us safely in your iron palm, may we always be one with thy cold-steel-oiled heart! Amen and Amen! Verse Two: Chant of Sorrows Shake the dust off thy boots thou saints of grime, unfurl thy tawny wings and cast thine opaque holy light upon the gutter bums, boxcar hobos, runaway hitchhikers – bring peace with soft whispers of truth – Thy never-ending quest for salvation leads thee down back street alleys where broken-down hipsters and blush-nosed drunks and pock-armed addicts lay in pools of piss and puke, Through a million faceless towns and one-lane main streets leading to more highway and vast expanses of nothingness where gulf winds blow tumbleweeds across the deserts of West Texas and the incessant waves crash against the ports of New Orleans, Once you stood among the host of Heaven with sorrowful countenance turned down upon the soiled Eden – now with weary, mournful eyes lifted to God thee yearn for the peace thou once knew, Thou knew peace and love and holiness but debased thyself and dwelt among the hated and despised – in thy foolish idealism thou sacrificed happiness in the name of compassion, Oh dark angels of railroad soot and back-roads' mud, what divine hope is this that soothes thy war-torn souls? what perfect love is this that gives thee sustenance and peace in thine miserable existence? How is it that thou art both so equally matched in the passion of thy insanity? – or is it that thou art the wise in a world of truth-blinded fools? Oh ragged angels, fallen stars, the fiery core of thy hearts burn as an inferno – scorching and searing all those thou meet – so long hast thee been in this vain world, that in thy distaste thou hast abandoned all pride – The stains of hatred hath shadowed thine ivory wings and the stones of judgement hath splintered thy delicate feathers, time hast eroded thy frail bodies and driven at thy minds like a stake, Love hath kept thee alive, hope hath been thy life-blood, peace hast been the breath in thy chests, compassion hath been thy sanity, thy embraces hath driven thee ever onward in the name of truth, Hail to thee, thou angels of dust! Peace be with thee through thy melancholy, bitter-sweet lives – spread thy sorrowful wings like clouds of ash across the heavens and with a touch like the luminescent hand of God, teach the world of thy love.