Fractured Mirror Eyes

Fractured Mirror Eyes
© Surazeus
2024 12 23

No matter how far out we fly in space 
beyond distorting atmosphere of Earth 
the stars will still appear the same small size, 
never growing huge as gems on black velvet 
or apricots on black porcelain plates, 
so I will just stay here on my back porch. 

The swirling snow and the fast-flowing stream 
are two things in this world of fleeting hopes 
I can never grasp with my hands or words, 
so I watch my children grow with the trees 
into angels who sprout invisible wings 
and fly away to become bold adults. 

The white owl brooding in the twisted oak, 
bright as the full moon on black winter night, 
reveals to me with fractured mirror eyes 
transient beauty of this strange world I see 
embodied by people who come and go, 
awed by idols of Michelangelo. 

Sweet vanity of our laughter and tears 
inspires me to express love in my heart 
for every person who will pass away 
and vanish from strange beauty of this world 
as careless Earth enfolds our life-sick hearts 
and changes us to words we never speak. 

Small island of my heart yearns for the bridge 
formed from two trees that twist embracing arms 
far across bottomless abyss of faith 
to bind our loneliness with bitter song 
of longing to become one family 
who eat and feast together on dark nights. 

Ominous words we speak by the gray pond, 
broken from tedious riddles of false hopes, 
deceive our aching hearts with trembling love 
that we might understand each other once, 
yet birds flap wings in leafless frozen trees 
and bear our sorrows to some distant land. 

Startled awake in timeless glow of dawn, 
I gaze across bay of indifferent light 
to watch frail boat of faith on choppy waves 
struggling forward against tide of despair, 
so I climb to hilltop of fruitless trees 
and shout names of my people who have died. 

As honest captain steering ship of ghosts, 
I write name of each person gliding aboard, 
record their tale in huge Book of the Dead, 
then paste their photo with years of their life, 
so their descendants know why they are sad 
yet choose to live their own confusing play.