Whilom – when God did ordain
to claim this drear and waste domain
Him did it please to bid His saints
against all pleading abject ‘plaints
to sojourn here ‘cross cruel sea
to raise the cross for all to see.
A thousand beasts with blood-damp chins
ten thousand gibb’ring indians
a frozen land, a ruthless sky
brought bitter tear to every eye.
But something more ill bowered here
to breed in saints a holy fear.
No savage mur’drous picaroon
nor dire eclipses of the moon
nor leons nor leviathans
nor vandal hordes nor heathen huns
did cause more quailing terror than
the Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
Some swore this wight was naught but air
which issueth from serpent’s lair.
And others claim’d the visions vile
were nauseous fumes, telluric bile.
Still others laughed the thought away,
yet did he haunt and hunt his prey.
An hundred years passed now apace
sith saints had conquered this new place;
an hundred years did roll away
now commonwealth in its heyday
grew fattish, vain, wax’d like the moon
which to a sliver withers soon.
To things of faith, to hymn and prayer,
these follied folk gave not a care.
Most shamefully young wives and girles
loved more their ribands and their pearls.
So watched each Sarah, Jane and Nan:
the Hypmogoogoopizin’ man.
Whence this monstrous permutation,
in what womb his generation?
Was he born into this world,
or from a passing comet hurled?
Will the secret pages yield
or is his tome forever sealed?
Was he spawn of Lapland witch
or the whelp of slav’ring bitch
mated moonwise, or the get
of mumbo-jumbo, black as jet,
of Pictish priest bedaubed with woad
or was an egg his first abode?
Slithered he from burst cocoon
in the lea of drifting dune,
was eye on Ancient Pyramid
witness to his birth, or did
he live before time began,
this Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man?
Now hear the dread particulars
of happ’nings ‘neath malefic stars
how goodly maid by name of Kate
fell, and falling, sealed her fate.
Of disobedience and its pain,
of sin’s black touch and seeping stain.
Creeping, spavined, skin and bone
came to Kate a neighbor crone.
She dreweth forth aweighty book
and sheweth for a fleety look
a picture there, an image of
woeful, grievous, gorgonic love.
Tho’ Kate drew back to shield her eye
she gave a grue, a mewling cry;
too late, too late, this ancient art
had hooked its talons in her heart.
So came from damned Alcoran
the Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
She juddered, blenched, nigh to swooning,
tho’ all was still, she heard his crooning,
a far-off bruit, as hounds to stag
a closer clamor did make her swag
and hand grew weak, and pulse did race
to see that lewdly leering face.
She sent away the cackling hag
yet slumber’d not, her bed a quag.
The moon arose, refulgent globe,
while Kate a comely female Job,
lay drenched in sweat, a writhing wretch
first fetal, closed, then wild outstretched.
The watchman heard the bandog howl
the wauling cat and hooty owl;
the leaves on ancient oak tree limbs
quivered, chanting ghostly hymns
to him, the Laird of demon clan:
the Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
When next did Phoebus slow descend
cry’d piteous Kate – O Lord forfend!
preserve, protect, this palsy’d girle
who feeleth banners dire unfurl,
keep hence the black and shining one
whose eye doth glister like the sun.
But all was vain and once again
a preternatural darkness came,
an ague clutch’d her, held her close
infernal trumpets, grandiose,
played fanfares only she could hear
to bold proclaim her time was near.
And sitting up in clammy bed
as fiendish tabors beat her head
she saw, tho’ eyes were closed fast
she saw, tho’ heartsick and aghast
she saw, and soul was clove in twain
the Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
Prodigious and malevolent
a baleful sign, a fell portent,
a louring look, a gravid eye,
the optick spheroid loomed nigh,
The fevered orb which streamed with rays
now trammeled her in noisome gaze.
Tho’ mummy-wound in dampish sheets,
she rose and fell in heaving heats.
The bedshrouds all were burned away
as dew on dawn of summer’s day.
Invading deep his vision darts
pierced arm and leg and tender parts.
So to complete his carnal crime -
as in creation’s natal time,
when Adam saw his naked Eve,
and swift as thought to her did cleave -
likewise this cruel panopticon,
this Hypmogoogoopizin’ man.
Then from the Great Afflicting eye
came a voice to mollify,
to stroke heartstrings as seraphim
which harp in heaven plangent hymn.
And so from bed did Kate arise
and walk beneath the starry skies.
Her sleeping dress yet fell away
and went she in sky-clad array.
Above her sable welkin arch’d
while through the weeds and woods she marched
condemned yet fervent, so it seemed
to mount the scaffold of her dreams.
The twin globes glowed, a lure for she,
like as a sundered Gemini.
The lunar orb and lustful eye
were side by side, in harmony,
febrile, limpid, hot and wan:
this Hypmogoogoopizin’ man.
Just once at Midnight’s tolling bell
she shivered, wrestling off the spell,
rebelling, brief, she fought and lost
resisting him, at what a cost.
Pinches, mischiefs, sundry bite
were her reward for bootless fight.
So anon she reached the place
where Kate completeth her disgrace.
A massy oak, black as the tomb,
above her, vast and sere it loomed,
and from a branch hangeth a rope
and from this hang’d the death of hope.
For there it was now twelve years gone
another girle at crack of dawn
was found dependent, lifeless fruit
above the writhing, snaky root,
her death the work of artisan
call’d Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
The eye’s refulgence trebled as
an husband’s ardor when it has
been rebuffed and thrice denied
by winsome, teazing furtive bride,
and to the virgin marriage bed
he speeds, and soon is daubed red.
The girle took hold of ragged noose
and placed it ’round her throte yet loose
then sudden skirling music came
of pipes and nakers to inflame
her writhing self, and so she danced
his odalisque, fawning, entranced.
Afflicted thus, this serpentine
and bestial spree, this jig malign
roiled outward from her ‘sorceled loins
as incubus with sleeper joins
and so continued damn’d pavan
with Hypmogoogoopizin’ man.
And keenly now, Kate chanted back
a descant tune demoniack.
Deep from her issueth the song:
a thousand echoes from a gong
that hangs within the citadel
of dankest, drearest deepest Hell.
The rope withal did tight enclose
and pulled her up upon her toes.
She dangled wailing pagan psalms
obeisant blessing and salaams
to Pasha of Opthalmick love,
and all the attributes thereof.
Gasping, grasping now for him,
dependent there from oaken limb,
the base lubricious undulation
naked blasphemous flirtations,
in manner of a courtesan
for Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
He swelled, and swollen, eldritch sparks
as those which shot from ancient ark
that Israel did hold so dear -
commanding total awe and fear -
billow’d, thunder’d, flashed and roar’d
with the presence of the Lord.
Or as a comet blots the skies
and the heathen terrifies
a blinding omen, mark of doom,
from the blackness closer looms
so did the eye most fulgurous
wax as rakeshame nemesis.
Sphering round this lesser sun,
circumscribed oblivion,
stretched taut, a membrane like a drum
head, spotless, weightless, pure vellum
comprised the girth of glaring gland,
of Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
As man o’ war with heavy ordnance
doth pound his foe to make her dance,
blasting cannon, hail of shot,
ball and bullet, crimson hot,
in such wise did her suitor
cruelly vex and persecute her.
She took the salvoes and she shook
twisted on this angler’s hook.
Raptured, ravished, did she squirm,
stript and moist, a wanton worm,
bait to catch most precious game
yet fish and fisher were the same.
Choked at end of hempen cord
blessing him ‘gainst whom she warr’d,
- an hour ago or eons past
across a space ungodly vast -
Kate surrendered to all demands
of Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
With fervent cry she yielded all,
capitulated to the call
submitted to her whilom foe
taking cruel bastinado
flung wide back her blissom limbs
and opened self to welcome him.
The instant rupture paroxysm
flooding ocular baptism
bursting eye, deluging rheum
vitreous matter, flooding spume,
bubbling gouts of ectoplasm
exploded forth in spewy spasm.
Steaming jets of gleaming gleet
boiling with supernal heat,
sweet and grievous, grumey glair
roar’d in torrents through the air,
in an instant all to drain
the Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
So quickly did her anointment
daub her all with shining ointment
honey bast’d, rare sweetmeat,
golden glaz’d with sugar sleet,
so sudden was she complete bedew’d
she hang’d in gravid hebetude.
And spectral leman too was sated
in this manner to be mated.
Egg and sperm in one fluid
like potations of the Druid
or the fabled Alkahest
which Gothick wizard possess’d.
So the climax of their love,
he below and she above,
bedizened with his dripping jewels
while at her feet the ichor pools,
so it ends as it began,
with Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
But hold – tho both are spent, agog,
yet there is an epilogue.
Kate against all hope did live
and of these circumstances give
her testimony, wild and queer,
blist’ring every list’ning ear.
She waxed old and oft retold
her tale in tongue surprizing bold.
Her inmost soul was stung by pride
to be the chosen wanton bride,
the one whose consecrated coney
was surfeited with radiant honey.
Did she bear his heinous child?
Was her matrix so defiled?
Slunk she off to do the birth?
Did their bastard walk the earth?
No one knoweth other than
the Hypmogoogoopizin’ Man.
(from OVO 15 SPERM February 2005)
