“Perhaps the book of life, in the end, is the book of what one has lived and if one has lived nothing, he is not in the book of life. “ Merton, Thomas, When the Trees Say Nothing: Writings on Nature
Turn the pages
past the flashy cover
beyond sincere dedications;
what do you
read?
Are there tragedies
lurking in your leafy folds?
Do you struggle, oh Hero,
with sirens and one-
eyed peep-
ing Toms?
Are you triumphant?
In your brief tale,
do you satisfy
harried Plot’s demands?
Are you happy
with your climax, your
denoue-
ment?
Or, with eyes moist and red,
at last do you drop
your ragged volume
to the musty cellar floor,
and wonder,
what happened?
(29 May 2012)
