the caveat onus ::: twenty-three

beneath the veil of perfect meaning
fantastic tortoises
held out their arms like wings
then came the armies of tumbling water
giving birth to grey grass
where I no longer go
it'll take me 300 years to remember
that afternoon
what it was to ascend a staircase
whose only escape was face down
and whereafter we walked
recounting the stories to our children
the reasons no one came

Copyright © 2006 Dave Brinks All rights reserved
from New Orleans Review
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission