Beyond All Poetry

I woke up this morning standing

In my neighbor's front yard

How I got there

I have no idea

But I was looking at my life

As my neighbor sees it

Stripped of the usual self-regard

And beyond all poetry

There was a barren ledge

Overlooking a vast plain

Already familiar to me

Having spent a long time there

Sitting attuned

To the rhythms

In the cycle of breath and

Listening to the long slow rattle

From the bottom of my chest

As if I was heaving up a bucket

From a deep dark well

But there are no metaphors

To explain where

I'm going next

The road sign ahead only 

Says sssshhhhhh!

An old man is sleeping 

Beyond poetry 

Is where I always intended to go

And finally I'm here