“The World”
Poemsdidn’t change muchat first. Atfirst itdidn’t changemuch, at first Ididn’t—I don’t—change much.At first wedidn’t & theydidn’t & the atmospherestayed the sameor enough to seemthe same. The same.I say the wordout loud to my-self. Who changed Ithink. What started out & thendisappeared withoutactually dis-appearing. It’s so quietin here. It’s soquiet now. The nowused to be a noisyplace & nowit is sostill. Where is everyoneI think. What is itthat is dis-possessed. Can it ever be re-possessed. Never?Now and again your soulwakes up inspurts askingwhat is—or is there—a juststruggle. Then you,then I, cry outwhere are youeveryone. We were in one world& then was it u orus or them or no one inparticular—inparticular my heartleaps at that—ohin particular—but no oneanswers & no onecame along in the end.And that was whenthe end began.I only just realizedit. Only just heardno one survived—or is it theystill hide, abovethe cries, nochild, no onereplies, no one notblind, confined,lined up, wired up, piledup, made tocomply, des-pised, compromised, the soul perpetually dis-guised, the words eventhe right wordscannot be un-furled from breath frommind ohmemory no cannot bedug up dug up fromthis buried world.
didn’t change much
at first. At
first it
didn’t change
much, at first I
didn’t—I don’t—
change much.
At first we
didn’t & they
didn’t & the atmosphere
stayed the same
or enough to seem
the same. The same.
I say the word
out loud to my-
self. Who changed I
think. What started out & then
disappeared without
actually dis-
appearing. It’s so quiet
in here. It’s so
quiet now. The now
used to be a noisy
place & now
it is so
still. Where is everyone
I think. What is it
that is dis-
possessed. Can it ever be re-
possessed. Never?
Now and again your soul
wakes up in
spurts asking
what is—or is there—a just
struggle. Then you,
then I, cry out
where are you
everyone. We were in one world
& then was it u or
us or them or no one in
particular—in
particular my heart
leaps at that—oh
in particular—but no one
answers & no one
came along in the end.
And that was when
the end began.
I only just realized
it. Only just heard
no one survived—or is it they
still hide, above
the cries, no
child, no one
replies, no one not
blind, confined,
lined up, wired up, piled
up, made to
comply, des-
pised, compromised, the soul perpetually dis-
guised, the words even
the right words
cannot be un-
furled from breath from
mind oh
memory no cannot be
dug up dug up from
this buried world.
