XXXXIII

so there it goes, and there you go

the universe, in all its color, gone

blinking out in a flash and everything is cold

deep blue- black, smooth as warm water

seeping out of a container, sinking below the surface

the world disappeared that night. 

myself, my pride, my ‘me.’ all went black.

the inkwells filled up to spill this pathetic nonsense.

the windows all remained open as the vacuum sucked

out the air. so no one heard me but me.

in the silence, all i heard was me. the breath, the heartbeat

it took me years to get here. but here is nowhere.

welcome to my nowhere. this is my nothing, now is not.

where i had much i have less than nothing. a negative.

a human debt. a soul- less revolution.

the sound of a universe closing. the shreiking of babies

and kings. the unravelling of every tapestry ever woven.

the shattering ofevery glass pane in church windows. the up- rooting

of every blade of grass. the boiling of every lake.

the me that was has taken a nap and left the me that is

in charge.