An Annual of the Dark Physics

The Baltic Sea froze in 1307. Birds flew north From the Mediterranean in early January. There were meteor storms throughout Europe. On the first day of Lent Two children took their own lives: Their bodies Were sewn into goatskins And were dragged by the hangman’s horse The three miles down to the sea. They were given a simple grave in the sand. The following Sunday, Meister Eckhart Shouted that a secret word Had been spoken to him. He preached That Mary Magdalene Sought a dead man in the tomb But, in her confusion, found Only two angels laughing. . . This was a consequence of her purity And her all too human grief. The Baltic Sea Also froze in 1303— Nothing happened that was worthy of poetry.