Octavian This Time Poem by RIC BASTASA

motionless. this is the circle. you are out.
motionless. open,
parenthesis, i am inside, i am a pause, i am enclosed,
close parenthesis, and you are out. ousted. a bird, a pigeon, born to fly
to get the bud, and tell me, there is peace on the land,

trance. my tongue shrinks inside my throat. i am silent.
i keep things inside. they are gifts of silence. i treasure them
inside my heart, they become my priceless treasures.

my hands. do you touch them like greek gods? what do you offer?
a goat, a calf, a turtledove. rise up, and be a star. reborn,
a chasm, you fall, and you keep on falling,
darkness, and light, getting married in that chasm, and you
are there cradled between them

light. so much light. blindness. gaze. stare. close and sleep.
you ask, where are we? where i am taking you? you ask if i am still
holding your hand?

through your eyes. this is the passage of time. through your eyes.
leaves. flowers. clouds. the sun kissing the mountain top.
let all these stay. in your heart. let them sing about the birds
that build their nests in your dreams.

we arrived. we shall now leave.