Twice

Drip twice black liquid in the bowl;
submit the body
to the soul.

Drop twice into the metal plate;
a penny for penance
a penny for grace.

Knock twice upon the wooden door;
once for luck
and then once more.

Ask twice, the martyr and the sage
how to live
and die with age

What good is evil in man's mind
when evil has been reassigned.
What use is time when at a glance
we never get a second chance

But he who looks not once but twice
will find himself among the wise
to look beyond the world's surmise
and find a home outside the hive.

[last stanza edit as per Marc]