The Black Cock

for Jim Hendrix, hoodoo from his natural born

He frightens all the witches and the dragons in their lair

He cues the clear blue daylight and He gives the night its dare

He flaps His wings for warning and He struts atop a mare

for when He crows they quiver and when He comes they flee

In His coal black plumage and His bright red crown

and His golden beaked fury and His calculated frown

in His webbed footed glory He sends Jehovah down

for when He crows they quiver and when He comes they flee

O they dance around the fire and they boil the gall of wolves

and they sing their strange crude melodies and play their

weirder tunes and the villagers close their windows and the grave-

yard starts to heave and the cross wont help their victims and

the screaming fills the night and the young girls die with

open eyes and the skies are lavender light

but when He crows they quiver and when He comes they flee

Well the sheriff is getting desperate as they go their nature’s way

killing cattle smothering infants slaughtering those who block their way

and the countryside swarms with numbness as their magic circle grows

but when He crows they tremble and when He comes they flee

Posting hex-signs on their wagons simple worried farmers pray

passing laws and faking justice only feed the witches brew

violet stones are rendered helpless drunken priests are helpless too

but when He crows they quiver and when He comes they flee

We have seen them in their ritual we have catalogued their crimes

we are weary of their torture but we cannot bring them down

their ancient hoodoo enemy who does the work, the trick,

strikes peril in their dead fiend’s hearts and pecks their flesh to quick

love Him feed Him He will never let you down

for when He crows they quiver and when He comes they frown

Source: New and Collected Poems (Self-published, 1988)