Zeno sings
of the infinity
in small spaces
and small steps
recalling Sisyphus' task
in an relativistic way
light is eternal
embodied in an equation
you imagine
forever
is a long, long time
still
Zeno notwithstanding
and even Einstein did not get this right
all things change
(my soul instinctively recoils,
both in horror
and with a sick, desperate hope)
with the stirring of the coffee cup
and the flutter of a butterfly wing
the little packet of light
striking the insides of my eye
(a little gasp of air
slips through my pursed lips
I promised to stop chasing unicorns today--)
I drink and breathe light now
my illusion of company
and soft words spoken into my ear
(Without it
I thirst and gasp
in solitude
and silence)
I sing to myself
dreaming
pretending
(watch the light shimmer in her bright hair
as she twirls it around her fingers--
very much like the light of the sun
I can feel her warmth and marvel at her brightness
but can never clasp my arms around her)
Can you walk in loneliness for so long
that you imagine that he is your only companion?
From this emptiness, wreak infinite creation?
From the meanderings of the labyrinth
straight, broad paths?
In this ash and dust, somehow
was breathed a soul
Within meat and blood,
enraptured, entrapped
Wisdom cannot be bought
enmeshed in dead leaves and twine
and still I pore over these textbooks
as if life and love
would explode forth in utter surprise
catastrophically overwhelm me with joy
The pages do not speak
except perhaps for the echoed whispers
dwelling in my mind
Sometimes I fancy
that the mad voices have taken up residence
squatters and usurpers
laying their arses upon the seat of my soul
I should just put up a sign
saying "Abandoned"
and give Dante and Virgil my keys
Hope is the currency of the living
Like the prodigal son
poor only because I have squandered my wealth
now knowing where gold lies
guarded by walls and steel
is enough to turn me into a thief
and an oathbreaker besides.
(Unicorn, oh, unicorn!)