The Eagle's Fast Descent
He cast his eyes, last, the setting sun—
He begged his gods he be forgiven,
Wearily he trod—then broke in desperate run
And leapt from the high craggy cliffs of Aeol-Ven
The eagle thought it a daring race
And dove to quicken and match the pace
But saw the seas rushing ever close
Turned in upward arc, less a feather, rose
And heard the waves become a grave
As deep the faller the water drave
Like rising walls of living glass
Hence from this life he would pass
And into the next,
The dark crevasse
Of death—
Where only oblivion may escape
As does the final breath
The maw of life agape
How could sadness weigh so much
To weep the eyes upon a touch
The eagle wings beat against the gale
The battering of life and travail
The sheering winds wear the groaning sail
The cracking mast falls upon the rail
Falls asunder the bow and stern
Swallowing waves froth and burn
What hell did the eager sailor earn
What news shall his widow learn—
That which she has now become
A queen with no kingdom
Yet her, and her only son
Watch across the seas
The pale setting sun
Praying he will come home
Or crawl up from the washing loam
Or however fate may appease
Such grievous wrong
Versus a love least as strong
The eagle turned from the mulling tale
His talons crimped the wet shining shale
No man lives to but fail
While life-malign tips the scale
And fate turns a blind eye
A man may reason ways to die
For no man lives to but fail
Spreading his wings atop the jutting stones
He peered them wounds and broken bones
Broken asunder by the hapless fall
But wondered what whispers may call
To bring a man to plummet doom
To shadowy darkness from dimming gloom
To ink frothing waves wet with tears
He wondered at the turning gears
That fade a light, but for a one
And wane the hope to feel as none
But knew the reason would ne'er reveal
Nor unravel the myriad matters we feel
That test the human spirit and resolve
Or how a moment's grief may evolve
It takes but a few errant stumbles
As we listen to the quiet mumbles
Reasoning ways to bring it all to an end
Or of the spiraling sadness they'd transcend
But at the same time ignore the hole left behind
That lingers the survivors mourning mind
Pulling them ever closer to
Thoughts of being there with you—
And how they now notice the dark,
How fleeting the light before the stark
Blackness of the lingering pit
That somehow knows your name
The enmity of your shame
And tirelessly ask
How you bear live with it
What dwindling hearth be cast
To a stiller fire
What hurt shall consume entire
How shall dread and grief conspire
Warmed by the hart's dying flame
No blackness might be seen in the deep well
No candle a singular hell
Black cannot become darker than itself
Only light can break shadow's spell
But in the end, both serve the other well
Even the smallest light repels the dark
Like a smile consumes the sadness of another
And as trails the spark, rekindles the ember'd hart
From smoulder to hearth fire
From stranger to brother
If light is half the duality
What exists in between
What lies at the center unseen
By either stark reality?
Neither outward gleam or eclipse
Could it be what falls from our lips
Creating the ideas of extremes
Issuing forth as unbridled streams
Yet still the center is the mystery
Surrounding itself in varied shades and imagery
Do the words come before what we see?
Does Idea forge our reality?
The wide ocean loomed—
The moon slid free the high crag
The eagle laughed—
Then took to flight.
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a
Premium Membership.
