ah life –

… … exquisite.

a tremendous river cascading, breaking

down dams unbreakable;

stones, concrete, sand rushing forth

when a force is first felt, moved, breath

not corpse, a fancy, a meal

think expansion, cerebrus yowling away

to hades who has lost interested when zeus himself

has decided to enter hell: slaps the dog

for he has come to free all the memories of the dead.

the river lethe roars and fumes; sentient at the

intrusion – her powers are nullified by thunderbolts

slicing through water; wounds reappear, thick bindings fall apart

and the worms, the festering, the bugs, the serpents

hiss in warning; smoked, toasted, flamed

till it became clear what underneath meant –

co-signed, fingerprinted, with multiple mug shots

when choices existed, when stories were plentiful,

there’s always more where they come from in the

eeeeeeeeeeeendles delight of this abyss; a mouth frothing

but it is sugar candy to delightful worshipers, servants,

eager to quench heaven’s ordeal. there’s another way out;

more froth, more tales, more let’s bend the rules,

a demon smiles; a man nods, a woman obliges,

the trio they come into the forest of many fake labels: and here

the web got more sticky, the leaves hid away traces

of what is out there: a rustle, a stomping, a roar

and a giant kid appears, says gotcha!

in this place of wonder, every nook has an exit,

till the feedback loop of positiveness ends abruptly;

no gentle soft landing, no orange warning, no sirens,

just a gradual fading, like a leaf left in the pavement too long,

absorbs tannins, becomes a copy –

an angel’s breath, an angel’s walk, an angel’s semblance

mimicked; never touches the core/heart

beating from a demon’s whisper; call; suggestion.

and memories regained; the wanderers now too relived

a demon’s quest – life exquisite

but death was chosen for it tasted like candy.