Panoptic

Panoptic

And so he watched as she partook of the flesh

And of the fruit, of the devil, of the knowledge.

And he did know her as he saw her
And did, of his own bone, lust
And did, for his own rib, lust.

Then, in the shadow of original sin, he fathered
Then, with fleshy fruit yet palate-settled,

Then, from banished seed,
Then, among his presence multiplied,
Then, he watched his teeming issue.

We, in his fashion, remain cursed voyeurs,
We, tempted by flesh and knowledge, see.

We abide in reciprocated spectacle,
We are Cain and Able and deluge,
We are witness to plague and redemption.

Watch with the eyes of God, of Pope Peter:
Watch with stone eyes, Galilean eyes watching God. 

Watch, digitally, panoptically: snowy prism.
Watch, with power multiplied: exponentially.
Watch time, watches, watchers, watched.

Each unto himself, seeking salvation,
Each unto the past, fleeing damnation,

Each unto the encroaching soon-yore, nearby:
Each unto his neighbor: distrusting, controlling
Each, making selves Oriental, into adjacent

Other.