Antithesis
By Shreya Venkataraghavan
Arthurian I once dreamt up a Blue winter; Blue as the ocean Never knew, Sharp so the Trenches of the Underworld May Fear. Colossal and fractured Is the Ice that runs In my veins, But your light is such light As the Sun never knew, It's a dream and a dream And a nightmare for two; If only one knew Of a wind so shrill, Of a will And a look And that look did kill, Of a fallen knight so silent As to ghost my day into night And a harebell into light. Lost is the cause Of a residual fight, For twilight's beast Is out and upright, Yet Merlin's legend Shall sink no more Than the sword and that sword That a stone swallowed whole. Neither myth nor legend Give rise to Sorcery or magic It's a victory so tragic It's a palm outstretched On an alabaster sketch
It's the light of the dark It's passions worlds apart— It's the heart at the heart of One's lonely bloody art.
My Breath My breath goes with my twelve and a half Font And my twelve and a half Font And my twelve and a half Font And my twelve and a half Font— I am not and am never, Have not and have Never fully Reveled in rubbing My rebelling heart Against the Extent Of these blessed windows— Blue windows, warm windows, Your windows And a fragment of This Day And That Time, Of this Snake And that Wine— For I loved With tears And drapes And scars And snakes But there’s ice in my Heart and ice In my veins, Ice in my passions And ice in my pains— Though I longed and Loved and longed to
Love for a love That was love Requited— The world longs to Lie and lies to love For a love that is Love unsighted—
Across the Table There is a place Across the table Where the night Sky melts Orange Into the Cold bruised Snow And they stand Elf-like with Twinkle in hand For they know, For they know Why the spring lies Dead in the Ashen pool of Star drawn lust Where my breath Meets the road— Where my breath Meets the road— Where my breath Meets the road Where my toes Rest bathed by The windy winter Souls till they're Whole till they're Whole till they're Whole no more Than the carcasses Of time well Spent—moments So cherished— I dream in Their presence—
I dream in their presence— I dream in Their presence For they're Light as the Sun never knew, Churning out Some sonneting Birds by the Second and the Second— Tick, and tick, Tick tick tick, Click? —Click?— Click? They like picnicking laughter, Bad dreams at times And good dreams with bad Times.
Sweet Trance You serve Weakly bloodied Wine in macabre Shot glasses, Your breath— A fine soup Of Wildly White Molasses? Oh? You laugh With your Palms wedged Deep in the Drool Of your Glitter-bruised ear? You are but Cobweb Breezing Out of Bony-black Fear . Blue love Love love Fills those Gold-plated Spiracles, Exotic as your Sharp sharp Veiny night-world. Cosmic chalk On your
Cracked Dark China rimmed Lips?— Fine Shred shred Shred Of blister woven Apatite. It's damned For you dream In black and black Or white and white, The soul's no More than a Whisper fueled Liqueur light. Heaven Seeks your sweat Now, Doesn't it? For The line's off sight, The line's off sight, Off sight off sight— The line's Off sight.
Enlightened Illusions What is that blur of a horizon? Cleanse the path With empty space, Look deep inside, You'll find a face — Float in an ocean of stars As debris, Until you walk the road of darkness As light. For just as every light descends to dark And every life did stem from root So everything that once was Will rest in the shadows Of our illusions — Why not cast these shadows into the depths of light And the illusions to the invisible grave of visibility?