Friday, July 15, 2022

An Obol for Charon ~ Friday, July 15, 2022

To reach not to grasp nor to arrive but to wait
only how long now, how long is now, a moment

reachable or not, why try again and again
each time failure found, slow down, touch her hair, her plait
as fold folds into fold follow tales of the tail
cover not the ears but the eyes, now nearly spent
how long before now, soon, never, nevermind zen

now listen for what, the circus calliope
only for how long, how long before others fail
to reach the country, which country, the other shore

train for months, for what, to run, where, how fast and when
only how far now, not far, marathon, no more

gentle, gentle now, go slow, slower still, a hen
rests atop a nest, inside a henhouse, wolves three
await silently, not a howl, nor a yawp, wait
silence, the moon red, crimson, now to get the joke
particularly cosmic, between abysses

neither time nor stars, not before nor after, fate
obeys the spoken, speak not, hear the unspoken
remain true to what, word is born, word is bond, broke

to damage the bond, withstand all analyses
order ships to sail, planes to take flight without wind

arrive not on time, not even timely, broken
ridiculed since birth, the point being to arrive
rivers confluence before the sea, swept out, dust
inside and outside, within the external drive
vitreous humor, nothing to laugh at, distrust
every supporter, word is born, word is bond, find

brotherhood in truth, invisible, the unknown
underneath the waves, the ocean, constant motion
the sea, to sail whence, but where, always on the go

to and fro, nowhere, stuck within the overgrown
objectified field, nowhere to go, but to stay

wait just a minute, why stay here with no ocean
absolutely stuck, no exit, a dead end, slow
in the head, screwy but methodical, to think
the stars overhead, to navigate matters grey

only how long now, exile, banishment, reprieve
nowhere to be found, the governor doesn't care
little does it take, a fulcrum shift to retrieve
yesterday again, again and again, the fare

how an obol sits atop the tongue once so pink
obol for Charon, the ferryman of dead souls
wicked, innocent, no matter, the dead are dead

linger here a while, but this place, so cold and dark
only how long now, that strange noise called singing bowls
nothing but stardust, trillions of years pass, no light
gentle now gentle, turn up the heat, eat flatbread

now shut up and drink, forget the past, lose the spark
only for how long, eternity lasts how long
wonders never cease, wake up, wake up, empty night

how long, until when, timelessness without release
only for how long, repeat the sequence again
wait just a minute, how many times with no peace

little else is known, well-placed mirrors, to refrain
only for a while, a moment, to hear a gong
no escape, just drugs to destroy body and mind
guaranteed twelve years, maximum, all is over

indeed forgotten by most, a few remember
sitting in a bank, on marble floors, sacks to blind

no bank robbery, a ruse, some other reason
only how long now, at the bus stop, recover
what was lost last night, a wallet in the embers

articulate joy, a barbaric yawp, a howl

moment by moment, start again, a new season
objectified field, baseball diamond, clean-cut grass
missing from the pitch, interpretation, crickets
each blade has meaning in the sunshine, for to pass
not just once but twice through all of time, two tickets
ten trillion years, poof, to return with such a scowl

No comments: