Saint Genesius at the Stake
Actor or saint, which god did you serve,
When on a clear Roman evening
You declared yourself Christian
And sealed your doom.
The play was over, and your part -- concluded.
Why did it carry on into the Emperor's Court
Where you declared yourself
Moved by your own performance,
A mockery of the baptism.
And what was your motivation
When put to the torture,
When the pyre was lit,
And the heat came in waves
Over your sweat-streaked face?
Were you overcome with the Holy Ghost?
Thus declaring yourself Christian --
Then, no patron of Actors.
Or were you serving Thespis?
Singing the great goat-song of Dionysius --
Then, no Saint.
Or are you merely that twisted actors's fantasy --
A moment on stage, turned Legend?
