Revelator

The laces of his ribs caged
 A heart blue as a robin's egg
 Abandoned like a boat half full of water
 Kept from sinking by its tether to the harbor
 Like a willow spilling downward
 Or a hand to holy water
 His back bent like a reed against the storm.
 He shrank until he wasn't there at all.
 Tell us what you saw, John
 Drinking wormwood water from a brandy glass
 Oh, John, won't you tell us what you saw
 I saw a beast with bright red eyes
 Eyes as bright as a liquor store sign
 I saw a beast, tall and wide
 Tall and wide as the water tower's high
 I swear... I swear that's what I saw
 His tired eyes had narrowed
 Sullen, sunken, lined in shadow
 Like a flower bending to a setting sun
 John wondered if his time had finally come
 His kudzu veins had hardened
 Ever since the drinking started
 His life had been a quiet passing storm
 John sought to leave his mark upon the world
 Tell us what you saw, John
 Clutching a pen in your trembling hand
 Oh, John, won't you tell us what you saw
 I saw a beast with seven heads
 A head for every emperor of Rome
 I saw a beast with a crown of horns
 A crown of horns and a chandelier of jaws
 I swear... I swear that's what I saw see less