Poetry Five

Who He Was
From depths he came
a vision for the future
a child of the present
wise about the past
Birth and death were right and left
and laughter the visible, irresistible star
His love was like a voyage to prove a round earth
where he could fly
he only wanted to run
to discover the boundaries of spirit
that there were none
He sought transformation of flesh with flesh
he did not violate
he was only lonely and bold
joyously weeping walking desolate rush street

In consecrating he was consecrated
a daring pawn push to capture a queen
I must honor beauty he said to himself
and the words caught like a kind of softness
in hand and fingertip

His swoons had Siberian honesty
nothing faked in the furor of love
soft sounds like moans from a touched depth
everything had been his pearl
because it was gotten with a dive
the rise must be slow or you lurch on the bends

And with his body he pollinates flowers when he loves
if he wished ecstasy, it must come from within him
if he wished that, then this must be done and so on
it read like math

A woman had called
she had a facade of glitter without true light
fools gold

She examined expression with passion
and finding logic and reason failing,
surmised its impact derived from enthusiasm in delivery
as in en theos
a godwithin and then she could say anything

They lived like Romans but thought like Greeks
love was all they had to give and it couldn't be squandered
like two dolls they flopped and cuddled
hoping their serious play would keep for life

He eyed the woman he had caught
and discovered it was she, though he thought she another
she was an animal of a different hue
a Judas kiss

He felt empty anger
she was a stone, a lie, a trite of life
she wanted to be in the middle and at both ends
He sought delicious delight
he discovered only dirge of duty
She would wake to devour
meals are only appetizers for women in love
and he needed energy if his very marrow
was the object of her cause
he had none except 'being'
that filthy erotic word signifying freedom
Love...the word had lost meaning
it is or isn't an essence
must be felt or not

He remembers now
he found the reason to tell her to take a lover
piercing paradox with a sword
and so he left
from the agony of emptiness that was him
asking what it meant...and why the abyss

His sorrow was too human to end
as a Paladin whose call was 'can do'
he kept honor and duty
and lost
By his own hand he poured more wine
emptied of love

Seek a solitude and call it peace
There lurks a dynasty in despair
a crumbling edifice
there is dignity in this isolation on this isle
this kingdom of body and soul
and like lovers, this too will pass
join calm at its crossing with purpose
he is the journey and its end as he began