And the clouds part with no sound
and we all come down to the ground
floating
lightly
landing
in the yellow and blue springtime meadow
where the grass grows to the river's edge
and the scents of lemons and limes can be heard
And we all land
in the meadow
lonely and tired
and confused
And we soon walk away
* * *
And there I saw you
dancing in palest of whites
in a shadeless dress
thin as a whistle
though I saw right through you
You danced to yourself
to no music, and to no notice of me
While the purple lights surrounded you
and me, as I found myself perched atop a marble awning
bolted to the purple carpet wall
with silver chains
I saw you from below
feeling the asunder sound amplifier vibrating with intense beats
dancing to nothing
and nothing, and nothing
* * *
Then she came and got me
the little old woman who always appears
Draping her arm around me, leading me by candle light
into a deep mass of purple and gray
"This way," said she.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked
She said nothing
And nothing was said
* * *
I woke up and fell asleep to the sounds of laughter
All of them, in silent conversation
in the bushes I waited and waited to know what to do
I could go to where all the tall trees are
the trees that tower over anything that is not a tall tree
but they're not trees at all
very large hedges
And soon I was at the edge of the pool
The purple gel that was in it
just like water
Gaup
they called it
all of them
in their quiet and motionless laughter, haunting the omniscentness
I jumped into the Gaup, holding my breath
I saw others in it too
they seemed to be breathing, under the water, so I let go
I flowed through the Gaup, like the wind on the meadow's tall tall grasses
and when I emerged
it was as if I had been holding my breath the entire time
and everything was black
white
and simple grays
* * *
In the very tall hedges I was
cut by their sharp branches and stung by their thorns
Taking myself to a more upright stand I saw what the very tall hedges were for
The very tall hedges made a labyrinth of pure confusion
with the sky as black as black things and fireworks lighting up the sky in red
the fading back to black
Then I walk and I see you
waiting for me, you said
Then like we had before in a dimly lit room
where the world makes sense
and the universes make no sense
of themselves while we make sense of that world
you kissed me, long and sweetly
your freckled cheeks taking the shape of an innocent and sorry smile
as I brush the orange hair out of your face and we walk
into the fog that crept from the very tall hedges
and found the way out
Out of whatever reality we had been in that moment
and into the one of the next moment's
and the moment after that
but not in reverse
* * *
The meadow was how they came
down from the clouds and down from the seas
the mountains in the faint background did not exist
as entirely as something as scenic should look
In the middle of the meadow
lived a tall tree
They all went to the tree, smelling its flowers and tasting it's lovely leaves
The leaves tasted like honey
honey and almonds and walnuts and pecans
but once they touched the leaves, they would melt
and not ever be tasted
But how they would try
in their insanity to taste the leaves that clung to the tree
If it were autumn, the leaves would fall, and they could be caught in the mouth
but the springtime meadow had no knowing of autumn
so they lived in empty attempts to make sense of themselves
often giving up
and sleeping again in the tall tall grass, where the springtime wind would blow
blowing all the way out to sea
* * *
Beyond the meadow there is a road
a flat orange dirt road, leading to wherever it stops
or starts or decides to do either
The cornfields on the lefts and rights of the road grew as high as the tall tall grasses
towering over everything
sometimes thinning out to flat and barren dirt
where only rocks
and the curve of the earth can be seen
from either side
And then the wood piles up
a fortress of military instruction
Within are obstacle courses and withstantion tests
to measure fitness for military might
The first course is easy
climb over the wall, up the rope, down the rope, under the wire,
over the wire, though the wire,
wrapped in wire
There is no second course, as there were already two edges of the road,
putting militaristic efficiency over redundancy
The third test is the death test
They swing large yellow metal rods at you
from a chain and overhang, as a battering ram would make the same motion
impaling you in the stomach and lungs and heart and neck
and of course you die and you can see yourself do it
They take you home, down the dirt road,
emptied of its corn by now, the cloudless blue desert sky smiling down on the day,
arriving at your house, which is off the road a few distances
leaving you on your front doorstep
in a bloody heap of body parts
And it is all as if you are seeing it yourself
though a pair of misplaced binoculars
* * *
And then the meadow begins to grow cold
the colours, coloures, and colors of the sky begin to fade
the clouds turn gray
and the flowers black
The tall tall grasses shrink into the ground and they are exposed
still peacefully sleeping
The tree in the meadow's middle begins to lose its leaves
fortunate for the few who aren't sleeping, as they taste them
But they only taste vinegar and salt
The sweet river;s water shifts its flow upward
flowing into the sky all at once
And then just as if the world had walls, the meadow's scenery caved in
and left them in nothing but an infinite gray box
* * *
The scenery of the meadow returns
and they are awoken by it
no one but the few know what had just happened
and they hadn't any idea of what it meant
and was dismissed
The sky glowed brighter
and the river flowed faster
the leaves tasted sweeter, but were still out of reach
The tall tall grasses waved in the wind, fanning the sleepings under it
Then the youngest of them came marching toward the tree
soon his feet were off the ground, still he kept his pace,
and appeared to be walking up stairs
The others then were able to follow
And soon everyone was in mid air, flying, could be said
* * *
Then we all floated up into the clouds
where the skies end
and the infinities begin
