The River Chebar

* dedicated to the red haired barista who works at Starbucks in Rockville. If you see her, tell her I am too afraid to ask her out. Tell her that I wish I was a man and had the courage. And that…I wish she and I could be together. #shesofine

+--------------------/The River Chebar, aka The Starbucks in Rockville

Everytime I patronize the Starbucks
in Rockville and you are there,
I feel like a forlorn captive in the
onerously love starved empire of Babylon,
full of lethargy, sitting
on the banks of the river Chebar in
fetters of singleness and whipped by task-
masters of female scorn.
I wish you would look at me, in the eyes,
 after I’ve conferred my order upon you,
and not turn your back on my heart as Israel
was captured, the women raped, the men burned
or bludgeoned with maces.
If only I could move you to compassion!
to reciprocate my ardor,
my desire descending wildly from parted clouds,
like weird looking  specimens of my own fantasy
trying to draw you near me.
My yearning for your body in those black
skinny pants you wear, to kiss you, to play
with your red hair:
the rarest of crimson silk spun by angels,
to marry you on rolling rye fields
in a sleek white dress,
your arms around my neck, is like four
living creatures mystifying in their appearance
like burning coals of fire. 
These romantic beasts of my longing have
four faces of adaptability -man, lion, ox, eagle,
one in essence but always ready to cater
to your mood, four wings of noble
intentions with human hands (to hold you with),
and feet like calf’s feet to carry my loyalty
over the vast stretches of time
I dream we one day share together. Beneath them
are beryl wheels of my driving passion,
wheels inside of wheels, with eyes
to continually behold your beauty.
Everywhere the angelic creatures go, you would
too.
This is my aspiration anyway, to have you,
like God on a throne, the appearance of
a sapphire stone, in the firmament above
grasping the reins as my mysterious
 and beastly Chariot (of Fire) leads you from Heaven
to speak to me.
You would say “Tony, I love you,”
and the edict would be issued for my emancipation,
Babylon be damned, as I order my usual
iced trenta black tea
(unsweetened).

-------------------Ezekiel 1
Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity, The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.