Walking
beyond the farmer's home
up a steep incline,
into a dark wood
where mushrooms sprung.
I picked some.
A criminal act, an
error, a sin.
I dropped them;
watched them fall to the ground
and tumble down.
Then I
reached where I was going.
A bittersweet building
or was it a
ship?
In the darkness, no thing was sharp.
Here, I knew
where I had to be,
which floor..
But so many entries,
so
many doors..
I chose the wrong one.
Inside, a
ship surpassing all.
A floating castle of souls
so cleverly
disguised, for sure.
I could go with that, for now.
But the
people here, I knew them all.
Friends, relatives, the rest.
All
were from the past,
involved in spirited conversation.
Or
alone.
A door was
open, a wedding beyond,
the bride in her flawless dress
whispering
to a girlfriend,
the veil still hung about her face.
I know who
you are, I thought,
I know your name.
Still,
searching for the stranger I was here to meet,
I walked through
thin corridors,
up steep steps.
It wasn't obvious how to get
there
but with persistence, I did.
And there
she was, behind her desk.
Just fill in a few forms
and you can
go through for the interview.
In a lost space, people
huddled,
watching.
But I didn't feel graceless,
having
arrived so late.
Simply numb.
After the
form filling I waited there,
her voice without expression,
for
the interview I should pay..
Pay for the interview?
I asked a
simple question
and she left to find an answer
which is when I
quietly slipped away.
Down the
steep stairs,
(I lost my shoes)
along the narrow
corridors,
back to the wedding area.
People were loud
now,
laughing, animated, so huge they were!
I glanced
about.
And left.
Easily I
found the gate to the wood,
the rain remaining; night ivory
black.
My feet were soaking.
I found the spot where I'd dropped
the mushrooms
and sat,
facing away from the ship.
Facing...
Below, in
the distance, a shape apparent,
the farmer's off-white
cottage.
The lights warm,
the drone of machinery
winding
down.
And I
sat,
still as the still wind,
my whole being soaked as the
earth about it.
And smiled.
