And—listening with dread for the moment of my own silence

Rending the flimsy lace of whisperings—

My gnome dances before me

Behind a fan of smoke,

My dwarf squats on my shoulders

Tweeking their moulted wings,

My ape peers in the mirror of my face

Mimicking my soul's gaunt gestures—

My wolf bays through my moonly loneliness

Blotching the night with howls—