Upon the Twisting Bridge
I did not come here to leave —
And yet, I must go —
Today or tomorrow,
Now or a little later.
When life’s play is done,
I must depart.
And so I walk,
My body steeped in light, in air, in soil, in water —
Amid the sleepless flutter of birds,
And the countless jubilations
Of a heart brimming with love.
Though here, through every night,
The stars perform their juggler’s game,
Rattling skeletons
Through ceaseless processions of lament —
Though here, upon the earth’s breast,
The endless tears that fall
Rise again as vapor,
Drifting toward nameless, clanless planets —
Though here, again and again,
The funeral processions paint
Their mournful pictures —
Still, amid it all,
I remain, clasping the uncertain hours,
Lost in pride and illusion,
Beneath the shadows of enchantment and desire —
Upon the twisting bridge
Where life’s light and darkness
Wind together into one earthbound spiral.
