When I Find Eternity

When I Find Eternity
© Surazeus
2024 11 30

When I find eternity in white stone 
that glimmers on pebble beach by the lake, 
I stop walking somewhere else to sit still 
as the scraggly pine on thin spit of land 
that curves into strange greenness of water 
till white glow of the horizon is me. 

Each ripple of the silver-green lake lurks 
close enough to faint shadow of my soul 
that cry of sorrow stuck in my throat wails 
soft as the hawk floating above flat water 
to prove my existence is hard as stones 
that tingle with kiss of indifferent waves. 

Almost erased to glimmer of sunlight 
on flat lake stretching far across the sky, 
I hum sudden vibration in my chest 
that startles me with fear of something near, 
yet only trees on pebbled beach reply 
with silent innocence of my despair. 

Stones on the pebbled beach melt in my flesh 
till I become clump of soft clanking stones 
when I extend sharp beam of energy 
to stretch my arms and legs with ardency 
through urgent desperation to reclaim 
pain searing my body as mine alone. 

When I find eternity in dead tree 
that stretches twisted fingers at gray clouds, 
I hide in shadow of short lonely pine  
while soldiers in trucks rumble on the road 
to invade the city of bombed-out ruins 
where children carry skulls of long-dead gods. 

Poised with stiff stillness of the patient tree, 
I spear wriggling fish in flat silver lake, 
then roast it over flames of honesty 
to eat with zest in the desolate waste 
far from haze of bullets blasting soft flesh 
in war against cruel tyrant of despair. 

Caressing twisted fingers of bare trees, 
I recite verses from lost holy books 
to remember names of people I knew 
who have since vanished from dream of the world 
so they will reappear as leaves in spring 
to tell me how happy they want to be. 

When eternity finds me on the beach, 
she will smile and protect my soul from harm, 
so, many years after soldiers have died 
and bankers get rich selling broken land, 
she will find me meditating all day 
to contemplate the strange greenness of water.