Magic Eye Beads

No one is safe from the glance
that empties castles and fills
the graves - the "beautiful eye" -
unless guarded by an amulet.

Banded agate, etched carnelian,
stratified glass, are cut and shaped
in the image of eyes - always open
keeping watch, deflecting the gaze
from the soft, encircled throat.

The evil stare's ever-present. Protect
yourself. Never set out on a journey
without a small blue bead in your pocket.
Sew one onto your lover's sleeve, thread

one to the collar of your companion
dog. And at night, pull down the brightly
beaded sky, with its stitched mosaic
of magical eyes, and wrap it round
your shoulders like a cloak.