We teach this craft, this light craft, this whimsey
of salt and candles. —First pour a circle
of salt, —sit in it, —call, —so mote it be.
But it shall not be. Salt is a crystal
warning you need to decipher. It rules
in our skin. It commands. Misconstrue
salt and no circle will save you. Vain fools
think these elements light. I hope not you.
From the North comes the machine’s death, comes Earth;
from the East comes the furious art, Air;
from the South comes the devil’s breast called Fire;
from the West comes Water, the night’s mind, the birth
of fear. Call, call, call, but be warned, this prayer
will bind you, —to salt’s rage, —salt’s dark empire.