Down To the Bone

("To the Bone", 2018, original encaustic) Down to the Bone Over and over Up and down Back-and-forth Around and ‘round It’s always learning the same lesson. Learning it again And again. Like a species, An individual With amnesia We cycle around Experiencing To rediscover Yet again What we’ve always known Not in a rut, but In a spiral. And each time ‘round As we relearn the old, We learn it with a new twist Twist of the coil Which inevitably In time Is worn out In exhaustion, worn Down to the bone To a stub A frayed knot A bit of tattered fabric That once supported Bound and Veiled the sacred In a mystery, But now Leaves it Revealed In stark simplicity. (10/5/23)