THE FOUNTAIN

SO WHAT, IF I AM POOR?

IN THIS DARK AND BRIGHT BIPOLAR WORLD

WHO IS THE AUTHOR OF MY FATE

WHO DICTATES THE FEROCITY AT WHICH MY OFFENCES

AND DEFENCES ARE DISPENSED

ARE MY TRAGEDIES THE TRIUMPHS AND VICTORIES OF THEIR INSTRUMENTS

BECAUSE OF EXQUISITE METALS GLISTENING 

WIELDED SHORT OF CAUTION

IT IS APPARENT

IN ALL PROCEEDINGS

THEY’VE PLOUGHED MYSELF INTO

THE DOINGS

OF MY MIGHTY INJURIES 

THESE THAT ARE AS GREAT

AS THEY CAN BE

IS THIS LIFE THAT IS MINE JUST THIS 

AND NOTHING MORE

THE NIB THAT BLEEDS BETWEEN ATROCIOUS 

FINGERS

THEIRS

IN THEIR GRASP

I, WHO HAVE DIED SEVEN TIMES SINCE YESTERDAY

WHO IS STILL DEPRIVED OF BREATHING

WHOSE ULTIMATE DEATH IS DAWNING

OUGHT NOT TO BE 

WHO THEY EXPECT OF ME

AND IF BY INCIDENCE

THAT SHOULD BE WHO THEY HAPPEN TO DESPISE

THEN SO BE IT, HOWEVER DREADFUL

ONE CONDOLENCE SHOULD SUFFICE

AGAINST THE FOREST

I, THE LIFELESS STAG, ON HORSEBACK RIDING

AIMLESSLY

I AM CEASELESS 

AN OUTPOURING

IF I MUST

BLEED THE NILE, I MIGHT AS WELL

IN WHICH INSIGNIFICANCE DARES NOT DWELL

NOR CAST 

ITS SHADOW

UPON THE ENDLESS STRETCH

A PROCESS PENDING CENTURIES

WHEREIN THEIR LIMBS MAY SOAK NOW

AND BE FREE, FINALLY, OF THEIR SINS’ SATIRE 

HAVING PENNED UNCALLED-FOR COMEDY

WHEREBY I MYSELF THE PROTAGONIST HAVE ASSUMED THE ROLE OF SCAPEGOAT

AT CASTINGS SUBSEQUENTLY 

IF BY UPRISING EVEN

SAY TO THEM: 

IF I AM HE

IF IT ISN’T HE WHO ABANDONS HIS DREAMS

IT IS NOT HIM

THAT IS NOT ME

DEFICIENCIES: THE UNFORTIFIED AND INEVITABLE RESURGENCE OF

OF ALL THE SEASONS THAT GRASP THE EVOLVING EARTH

THAT INFLICT THEMSELVES

UPON

THE REVOLVING SPHERE AN OVERARCHING BLUE THAT FLOATS IN SPACE

IF ONE WERE ONE

ARGUABLY IT WOULD MOST PROBABLY PLAUSIBLY BE:

AUTUMN

DISCHARGED FROM MONSTROUS CANOPIES  

ABUNDANTLY GOLDEN

FOR THERE IS NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE

ABUNDANTLY SAFFRON

THAT EXHIBIT DEATH AND DYING

ABUNDANTLY BLOODY

THE EXCREMENT OF BEING

QUITE AS CLEARLY

 

ONE SAW

FROM ALL THE TREES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SEEN

A WEEPING WILLOW

BRANCH BY BRANCH

HANGING THEMSELVES FEROCIOUSLY LOW

SWEEPING CARPETS OF CONCRETE AND GRASS

UPON WHICH FOOTPRINTS MAY BE EMBEDDED

IF NOT RENDERED RELENTLESSLY IRRELEVANT

NEVERTHELESS EVOKES THE RECOLLECTION OF A ONCE-WAS ACCOMPLICE

WITH A FACE ETERNALLY

FRAUGHT BY THE POMPOUS FATIGUE 

OF DISEASED PROPORTIONS

AN EARTHLY HOST WHEREFROM SENSATIONS OOZE

CONJURES THEREBY THE DISTINCTION OF A MASTER

WHOSE WORKS ARE MUSEUM HUNG

 

WITHIN AN ORCHESTRA

OF ALL THE INSTRUMENTS 

BESIDES, PERHAPS, A HARMONICA

NOTHING WAILS QUITE AS VIOLENTLY AS A VIOLIN

WHOSE DURABLE LIMBS WHICHEVER INDIFFERENT OR UNYIELDING

IRREGARDLESS THEREIN ATTENTIVE EARS

INVOLUNTARY OR OTHERWISE

SHALL BICKER INTENSELY

UNTIL A QUARREL ARISES

WHAT SPECIFIC OCCASION WARRANTS A VIOLIN

THAT ALL OCCASIONS SHOULD NOT

HOW COME IT HAS NEVER BEEN DISCLOSED

MUSIC IS THE MOST IMPORTANT 

SCENERY

MUSIC IS ITS OWN SCENERY

 

OF ALL THEIR VARIETY

AN ASSORTMENT 

OF FLOWERS – NOT TO BE MISTAKEN FOR WEEDS – IS NEVER RANDOM

IN WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES 

DO FLOWERS RESENT 

BEING UPROOTED

THEN ALLOTTED

IN INSUFFERABLE ORIENTATIONS

WITHIN AUTOCRATIC PRESCRIPTIONS

WEDGED ABOUT 

TO SUCH EXTREMES

THAT THEY CRINGE IN AGONY

THAT THIS WILTING – OF NATURE’S DECAY – AT THE HANDS OF MAN

IS INDICATIVE OF BUT

MORTALITY’S CATASTROPHE

SURPRISE DELIVERY

BLOOM SO ABRUPTLY

A FIREWORK DISTILLED

INTO A BOUQUET

UNFURLING CHAOS

CONSEQUENTIALLY ON CUE

MADNESS IN COLOURS

ASSERTIVELY VIBRANT

JUXTAPOSED AGAINST 

ONE’S MOOD

ONE POLLEN-COATED TENTACLE

FORLORN FROM THE POTENTIAL OF A THOUSAND

MORE

A TENTATIVE NEST

FREED AMONGST THE ATMOSPHERE

AS PALE AS A BLOATED CLOUD

IMPATIENTLY

A POOL ANTICIPATES DISCHARGE

OF ITSELF

LURES

LIKELY ONLY

THE APPETITE

BELONGING TO THAT 

BUZZING OR CHIRPING

SINGING OR CURSING

BE IT MAY

WHATEVER 

LONGING TO BE QUENCHED

UNTIL A STOMACH

BECOMING A VASE

INCLINED TO CRACK

AT ONCE ERUPTS 

A COLOURFUL PARASITE 

ASCENDS IN ILLUMINATION OF

THE SLEEPING SKY

THE END

THE FISH IN THE POND

FEROCIOUS

AND HARMLESS

PURE OF HEART

IS PUNISHED BY ITS OWN 

OBLIVION

BUT PLEADING 

IT SHALL NOT

FOR EVEN IF 

IT SHOULD BLEED

NOT AS A BEGGAR

IT WOULD HAVE BLED

ALIVE ALBEIT AN ASSASINATION

A SCENTLESS FLOWER 

MAKES NO SENSE

FOR IT

A TIME OF DEATH UPON

THE FLOWER ROTS 

INSIDE ITSELF

CONDITIONED UTOPIA

MY MOTHER STANDS UNDER THE UNPREDICTABLE SKY

IN HER ARMOUR; MY PROTECTION

FOREVER

SINCE BIRTH

A LOTUS BLOOMS INVERTED

FROM THE SKY

AN UMBRELLA

ABOVE WHICH

A SINGLE CLOUD REIGNS SUPREME

A SINGLE DREAM 

ONCE UNFULFILLED

EVOKES HER SUFFERING

SO MUCH SO

MY MOTHER DRENCHED

IN HER OWN TEARS

I SEE MY FACES

MANY OF WHICH I FROWN AT

LOVINGLY

AS IF NOT MY OWN ENEMY

SILENT AND STIFF

STILL AND STUBBORN

INSIDE THEM

STILL STUBBORN

A BIRD FLEES ITS NEST

AS IF IT NEVER NEEDED 

IT

I REALISE

THE WORLD IS NOT JUST BEAUTIFUL

IT IS HORRENDOUS

DUBIOUS COMPROMISES OF PITIFUL WORTHINESS

THE MAGNOLIA SUFFERS MORE THAN YOU

OR LESS THAN YOU

THAT NEEDS NOT MATTER

FOR 

SUFFERING IS NOT A COMPETITION

PERHAPS IT JUST 

SUFFERS

MORE THAN YOU COULD 

EVER IMAGINE

IT PRAYS FOR

AND THAT

IN ANOTHER LIFE

SHOULD ANOTHER LIFE BE WARRANTED

ITS LIFE MAY BE PERFECT 

AT LAST

PERHAPS THEN IT WILL KNOW 

IT NEVER EXISTED AT ALL