meine umwelt
avec moi, sans moi,
par moi
Ahh… and the tales I shall unfold
May blast comprehension if the truth be told
An ode to the masters, martyrs and whims
A satyr on life and sullied daydreams
(1996)
Unanimous Laughter
Night spreads thickly like clotting blood through the arteries of the metropolis
Life seeps gradually away, leaving only the undead to haunt lonely streets
And those desperate for death’s challenge to confront their empty existence
The rejuvenating glow of dawn welcomes the last trespassers to their beds
Greeting the quickening heartbeat of business and trade as it blinks bleary eyes
Questioning the vigour of youth, the fable of old age, and the weariness abundant
Breakfast sees a kaleidoscopic collage of humours and habits proliferating
Diversifying into the arena or wandering outside the ring intent on a view
Or following a fantasy as valid as the soundness of the human mind or security
The organisation of chaos ensues, prediction of the weather, misapplication of
The butterfly effect or Le Chatelier’s principle or tarot cards or luck or fate
And each in his own sweet oblivion envies the innocence of the youngest child
One projects her individuality, needing to know others can see she does not care
Another wanders blindly in an emotional swamp, observant of all but that most clear
Some hide in each new face or project, fashion, sport, book or series on the television
Some do not know of complexity but feel a nostalgic loss or remain blissfully unaware
Others have forsaken simplicity for the frantic, intoxicating haste of complete burnout
Another will gaze at the jewel in his palm and question all but his own lack of aestheticism
Lie back in the dark and inhale one you love until breath and heartbeat fill your ears like
Ancient music to a primordial theme; feel slow encroaching pressure ease the base of your
Spine, working gradually up a network of stress and nerves until released over the scalp
A gradual communication between tension and relaxation, an internal sphere beyond the
Reach of pleasure or pain, a temple to sensation: to warm sunlight sprinkling like rain
Over a gently smiling, upturned face, to the memory of darkness and the wind outside
After noon the body craves the peace of a short slumber, is denied by caffeine, adrenaline
And society’s forbidding command. As evening comes crawl home to bed and toss in
Disturbed day dreams. What happened to the animal: contentment with life, yielding
Sacrifice to its demands, dying in an unmarked spot, rejoining the universal cycle?
Why do I look at the sky and dream beyond the boundaries of my own comprehension
Why do I wish up each falling star or upturn each stone, why do I question why?
He walks with his face hugging the ground, unknown to him are the clouds that skit the sky
Yet a beam of pleasure opens up an unknown world as his eyes alight on familiarity
The curious magic of meeting a friend unexpectedly breaking through steady melancholy
An eager young face halts a frazzled stranger’s course with honey-
Open-
Discovery. The sun breaks free from grey obscurity, or the clouds release their burthen.
(21st Apr ‘95)
