The Abyss

I lived within those walls over there The ceiling - they called it “sky” They said, “The Maker creates order Why would you bother asking ‘why?’” Daily happy music resounded From speakers placed on each street Day in and day out - nothing new Everything positioned so nice and neat The houses there were all alike So eloquently symmetrical Clichés & memes filled the air No space for anything dialectical But curiosity goaded me anyhow “What is this Being within this skin?” “Tis’ selfish to ask,” they gnarled, “It might lead thee to sin!” I travelled till I could go no further Where I saw a hidden door I opened it and to my surprise Was a world I’d never known before Fruits of the trees tasted sweeter Than those which I grew accustomed  I looked back and asked myself “How could I ever again trust them?” Then, I felt sad and thought with hope, “Perhaps, I can show them what I’ve found! If they could see the sky, hear the wind, Feel the soles of their feet on the ground!” Gleefully, I...

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI - First Images from the James Webb Space Telescope | NASA                              At first, I saw it.   I rejected the sight of it.   Oh, how long I had passed by it,  but it was always there  waiting for me to take notice of it.   Darkness.   They held it up as the Taboo:   "It is poison!" I felt it drawing me forth -  a resonating call to my being. I was at my wits end. There was nothing left that could have been done. And it was still there waiting. "Pour me a glass," said I.  A toast for the Ages. The rim touched my lips. I held back the tears as the drink travelled down. Then more, then more Till the goblet was empty. My memory started to quake As bitterness once bound Came rushing through. Thoughts and feelings burned away.  Ashes in a breeze. All that I was fell away Like a serpent's skin. S...

Nothing Is there pressing close against my face. Nothing Always there filling up the empty space. Nothing   Is there - the most tried and true friend. Nothing Will certainly be there in the end. Nothing Will always lead and also follow. Nothing   Is ever full and ever quite hollow. Nothing Connects an object to its given name. Nothing Appears behind the curtains of pride and shame. Nothing Shall always and evermore be. Nothing   Shall exist for all eternity.

Standing in the midst of the crowd Feet touch the sidewalk  Hustle and bustle - loud Is my voice heard when I talk? Order out of chaos Oxygen - constant breathing  All in search of something lost Great Pendulum - ever swinging Eyes meander; thoughts pass over Like feathers in a dance Some brush over my shoulder By some random chance Oblivious, Unaware Ghosts; Zombies; Machines Nothingness in their stare Never tasting Being Who can even see Who do not see themselves? Do I have to bleed For my words to hit their shelves?

And there was my heart On that sleeve drenched in blood, Squeezed to the last drop, Trampled, and pressed in the mud. The chalice was raised; “Take drink!” They all said. Whence my tongue rejected it, They cried, “Lie, thee, with the dead!”      And you’ll paint a pretty heaven      And turn mortals into gods      While you stand and watch me burn      Amidst complacent nods.      You place filthy hands      On my emaciated back.      I’ll be what I will be      When, alas, you paint me black! And I sank into my skin As you ripped out my tongue. “It’s for your own good,” Was the song to be sung. And, oh, they stoked the fire To set the demons free; Led by the shackles Of their mental slavery.      And you’ll paint a pretty heaven      And turn mortals into gods      While you stand and watch me burn      Amids...

I repose in my ship setting at the harbor  Ruminating about the endless time Arms behind head; gazing towards gilded sun In comes rolling clouds ever sublime Anchor up; ship unmoored Wind guides me into the ocean infinite Waves crash; the spray cools my face  Land dissolves into distant memory; I sit Clouds abate; I move about Looking o’er starboard; gold dazzles the surface Waves calm with the rhythm of my heart I furrow my brows, pondering purpose My ship still; creatures circling about Mysterious beasts below; majestic birds high Life unattained by hand’s reach, Spirit touches Atlas, for a moment, releases the sky Time evaporates like a candle in the wind  The sun magnifies as it falls into the sea Day & Night collide; Past & Future fold The birds and whales move in harmony The collision a ripple in the ocean of the Universe Celestial beings burst into a spectral road Arcing down to the deck near my feet Nervous my eyes cast upon it to and fro No rails; no cert...

I reach out to grasp it; it slips through my grip It trickles down my skin. I aim the lens to capture a shot And, oh for what, then? What I hold in my hand is but an image There, something does lack Life, I perceive, is farther off Beyond where my fingers crack To trace the stars t'would take a lifetime And, that is what we get Where stars radiate, we call "sky" But, in this name, such depth The net I possess; this construct of words Never quite contains Like salt of the sea or sand of the desert Something else remains And there you are, ancient mystery, Light on the waves, gleaming Beneath the surface you manifest The essence and the meaning