O Brave New World:
Barcelona, Charlotteville, Jerusalem....
Certain moments
are excruciating : they twist all time
Against
itself, and fling part of ourselves
Into the
very origins of space—a crime
Against
common sense; and yet life revolves
Back into
our chance to make decisions—the loss
Of which we
were unaware, like babies born
In caves
without music or dance. They toss
Old ideas
out the window, treat with scorn
Our deepest
passions and anxieties. Torn
Apart, our
heart and mind stare and wonder,
Unable to
move, silent, stuck in the lime,
Frightened
by stability and tempted by the blunder.
Rhythm
disrupted, vision occluded, the teeth of wolves
Bite into
us, the horns of giant stags,
The
pounding hoofs and drums, primeval hums,
Until the
canopy of heaven sags,
Our golden
city now nothing more than slums.