Asked and answered

What of the shadow
raising its shroud
to come between
her and the sun?

Crawling in gloom,
she finds the sequestered
and sees what
fades in the light.

What of the words
jangled before her
as if they were the
keys to the kingdom?

She closes her ears
as her heart speaks
so loudly it rattles
throughout the night.

What of the boxes
and barricades;
the diminutive places
where cowards hide?

As spirit pervades
all light and matter,
it caresses every
soul’s concealment.

What of the moment
screaming at last -
when the world falls
into its own trap?

Alongside roads where
smokestacks spew
their desolation;
the path winks freely.


© 2001 Melissa Songer