'The Man Who Ate The Snake' Poem by Forrest Barden

Quietly...
I'm screaming to rattle the spirit
Of oblivion.
Silently...
I'm shouting to shake the foundation
Of the abyss.
Gently...
I'm crying out to shatter the stained glass
Of the soul.
Softly...
I'm calling to the space unseen
Between us all.

I'll hold you
In my frigid embrace
To show you the meaning
Of solitude.

Although you are
In my arms,
You are not with me,
For I am far away.
(in a place you cannot survive...)

I am not lonely,
And there is nothing
For which I
Am compelled to search.

All is well;
The mind
Cannot deny
The heartbeat.

I speak to you now
Of things which you understand
Without your knowing.

And so the jester plays the role of king,
Thus the world goes on, as does everything.

And I wave to time
As it passes,
Standing statuesque
In the grasses
Of the garden of eden,
Eating fruit with Eve,
mocking Adam.
And he asked us:
'How can she be so frivolous
With the knowledge of good and evil? '
So I asked him: 'how can god almighty
Make man so weak and feeble? '
So he inquired: 'who are you
to question what I say? '
I calmly responded: 'I...
Am the the man who ate the snake.'