after weeks of counting in increments of 5 while sitting at the table of the sun his earthly granddaughter beat him at dominoes when she was only 13 so he hurled all 28 bones into the sky where they still shine on clear nights
he worked the rails while on land to blend in with those considered common knowing full well that saints often beg on street corners to test for purity of heart & atonement & benediction are found in juke joints as often as churches, where true believers drink spirits & holy water from the same glass
he diagnosed grief in his surroundings & used humor as a panacea, curing pain with laughter when medicines refused to mend wounds fully prescribing black magic remedies deep fried & seasoned with hot sauce
he captured hornet stings & barbs in the thick skins of his soles freed them with razorblades hurling them at unsuspecting mortals that underestimated the sharpness of speaking tongues
sometimes words are the only weapons available to gods on
earth