You could scream
Because mankind is mad.
But you, of all people, should not.
Out of what thin sand
And mud and slime
Out of what dogged splinters
Did you fashion your castle against the test of the sea,
And now it is touched by a wave.
What chaos
Received bounds, from here to there.
What abyss
Was seen and passed over in silence.
What fear
Of what you are.
It shows itself
But that is not it.
It is named
Yet remains nameless.
It is coming to be
But has not begun.
Your castle will topple
Into the wine-colored
Funereal sea,
She will assuage your pride.
Yet you knew how
To use next to nothing.
It is not a matter of wisdom
Or virtue.
So how can you condemn
The unreason of others.
Berkeley, 1969
|
