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 absinthe and stained glass by Rg Gregory 
						(i)absinthe makes the hurt grow fonder
 the green fairy burbles what's this 'ere
 when vincent (sozzled) knifes his lug off
 all spirits then succumb to fear
 depression takes the gloss off wonder
 and people (lost) tell god to bug off
 the twentieth century drowns in sheer
 excuse that life is comic blunder
 temporality dons its gear
 forbidden thought soon rips its gag off
 
 stained glass (you think) must be bystander
 its leaded eyes seek far not near
 the day's bleak dirt it learns to shrug off
 
 (ii)
 the history of the race confuses
 heady spirit with bloody need
 nothing can stop the sky from tingling
 intrinsic hope rewords its screed
 assumes it must outlive its bruises
 
 stained glass deigns to face the mingling
 of atavistic search for creed
 with each desire gets what it chooses
 it tries to suck out truth from greed
 and calmly pacifies the wrangling
 
 lasting spirit allows no ruses
 what's bottled dreads to pay much heed
 between the two meek life is dangling
 
 (from le trianon - stained glass window by berge)
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