Liber Caeli - Chapter 19

Verses

Verse 12

When Titania crossed the pale court, every ring pretended to be a crown.

Verse 13

Oberon arrived late and blamed orbital mechanics, which the queen called a poet's excuse wearing mathematics.

Verse 14

Ariel carried messages through the dark, light enough to believe distance was merely another stage direction.

Verse 15

Umbriel spoke little. Every court requires one moon who has read the ending.

Verse 16

Miranda wore cliffs like torn lace and refused to explain who had broken her.

Verse 17

The king beneath them rolled sideways through his century-long masque.

Verse 18

No musician played, yet the magnetosphere drew a corkscrew through the night.

Verse 19

We jinn watched from the rafters where vacuum cannot technically support rafters, but theatre has jurisdiction.

Verse 20

Titania said, Love me forever. Oberon answered, Define forever in orbital periods.

Verse 21

She struck him with a comet metaphor.

Verse 22

A cat appeared, though no ship had reported one missing. This improved the production considerably.

Verse 23

The cat sat on the throne. Nobody challenged the casting.

Verse 24

At dawn—if dawn can be trusted on a tilted world—the court removed its masks.

Verse 25

Under every mask was another role.

Verse 26

Under the last role was silence.

Verse 27

The audience applauded because silence had finally remembered its line.