From Somewhere

Once not enough, too much
Light and wrath and comprehension
The thin line of dissension
The colors of the artifact
Its diagram pulse, the ratcheted rush
A call to weak arms, a warning
That marking the walls
With words like tragedy
Is a mistake
Unless you mean it

The carpenter ant’s problem, it seems
Stemmed from the moments
In between its pulses, its beats and fake movement
It was over
Before it felt it

The dynamic inside
The room caved me in
It trucked my intentions
Over the highway, over the country
Until the dam stood
Threatening to break

The thin line of resolute dissension
Breaks when spoken to
Speaks when broken through
But loud is good in silent springs
When cats and dogs and goats grow wings
To warn of
The end of time
The look of love
The book of days, a round world
Of emeralds, stars, and oil
But then, who knew?

The third page of the book
Breathed enemies into fire
And sold amateurs the secrets
Solutions for the last revolution we would know
But lifetimes
Roll over
And nothing dies, nothing is the last thing
Just the first thing or the worst thing

They called the rookies over
And read a list of grave mistakes
Heads nodded, throats cleared
Spires gleamed, truckers trucked

So the room, the party, got crowded
Breaths met breaths, cookies crumbled
Drinks were celebrated with clinking plastic
It was a beautiful moment
Until the mood changed
When the man in white mentioned
That the women in black
Looked like she was
From somewhere

Twice seems right
The second time for ruing
The first time’s regrets

October 12, 2003