Two and Twenty

Two and Twenty    8/20/2015

Black birds circle

In a dark and dusky sky

Smudged through a windshield

Diving and crying.    

Circling me

As I circle down

Spinning faster and faster

Over the drain

And under the spout. 

Thick as soup

And pregnant with anticipation

The weight of time

Full of fuel

And lightning. 

I thought I was free

And I thought I could skate

Coasting through life

Effortless and smooth. 

But thin  ice

Will crack under pressure

Dropping us through

And locking us down. 

And many have died

Back home in the ponds

Venturing out

When they should have stayed home.

The truth is

I never really tried

Paralyzed and impotent

With no one to pull me up

And no one to break me through. 

Staring sideways

Into a monochromatic wasteland

Frozen, white,

Gray and dead. 

Numb to the pain

And bleeding from the head

Dripping on the ice

Shocking and bright. 

Careless when we should be cautious

And timid when we should have fought

We pull against ourselves

And swing at shadows. 

Stomping on bugs

And abandoning our friends

We run from the evil

Exploding all around. 

Prostrating ourselves

Before little gods of clay

Obeying every rule

With empty heads

And frozen feet.

Furtively looking

And plaintively waiting

For someone else to help  

And someone else to act.