Settled

Stan Rogal
From:   Geometry of The Odd. Wolsak and Wynn, 1999

     I guess every port of refuge has its price
                    — the Eagles

What excites a question. What does?
Seeking to secure that edge
      between the tolerable & the
Terror
Simply
Begs a life lost beneath the cushions.
Or who surrenders the self to a role model
Bottoms out, finally, left holding the bag.
Nothing more real than nothing
Provides the promise
Forever
      what is above is like what is below
      what is below is like what is above
At this base level quantity becomes quality
As the devil we know contrives
   sarcophagi within sarcophagi
      toward some mean end.
Cramped in this arena each familiar object
Puts on its ugly face
& everything shiny, sweet-smelling & mostly useless
      keeps any fervent stranger
         cooling their heels outside the door.
Where a forward step would explode all thought
In the last analysis
A lifetime spent in tears makes for some cheap & empty
elodramatic.
What excites a question. What does?
Beyond the normal everyday
      of wandering shades & phantoms
The fear
Have the faithful departed? The faithful.
Never do.

Poem 1 | Poem 2 | Poem 3 | Poem 4 | Poem 5 | Poem 6

Stan Rogal's works copyright © to the author.