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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

April Anomalies A-Z: Ziz



Speak to the earth
and the Behemoth will answer;
call for the sea
and Leviathan will reply.
But if you would converse with the winds
and if you could speak with the sky
you would hear the voice of Ziz.

When wise King Solomon
ordered the animals
to bring him word from distant lands
only Ziz returned with a report,

Feathered Zis, who flew
all the way to Havilah (where there is gold)
and back again, to say:

“As I am king of the birds,
you are king over men.
I am Ziz that stands with my feet upon the earth
and my beak in the heavens.
If I spread out my wings, do I not blot out the sun?”

As Leviathan is king over the fishes
and Behemoth emperor over the beasts of the earth
Feathered Ziz rules over the flocks and birds of the air,
yet even he, in his feathered splendor,
is subject to the Great Name.




This is part of April Anomalies A-Z, a creative writing exercise and not intended to be an altogether accurate picture of the creature described above. 

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