Saturday, December 08, 2007
James Tate
NEVER AGAIN THE SAME
Speaking of sunsets,last night's was shocking.I mean, sunsets aren't supposed to frighten you, are they?Well, this one was terrifying.Sure, it was beautiful, but far too beautiful. It wasn't natural.One climax followed another and then anotheruntil your knees went weak and you couldn't breathe.The colors were definitely not of this world,peaches dripping opium,pandemonium of tangerines,inferno of irises,Plutonian emeralds,all swirling and churning, swabbing, like it was playing with us,like we were nothing,as if our whole lives were a preparation for this, this for which nothing could have prepared us and for which we could not have been less prepared.The mockery of it all stung us bitterly.And when it was finally overwe whimpered and cried and howled.And then the streetlights came on as always and we looked into one another's eyes--ancient caves with still poolsand those little transparent fishwho have never seen even one ray of light.And the calm that returned to uswas not even our own.
NEVER AGAIN THE SAME
Speaking of sunsets,last night's was shocking.I mean, sunsets aren't supposed to frighten you, are they?Well, this one was terrifying.Sure, it was beautiful, but far too beautiful. It wasn't natural.One climax followed another and then anotheruntil your knees went weak and you couldn't breathe.The colors were definitely not of this world,peaches dripping opium,pandemonium of tangerines,inferno of irises,Plutonian emeralds,all swirling and churning, swabbing, like it was playing with us,like we were nothing,as if our whole lives were a preparation for this, this for which nothing could have prepared us and for which we could not have been less prepared.The mockery of it all stung us bitterly.And when it was finally overwe whimpered and cried and howled.And then the streetlights came on as always and we looked into one another's eyes--ancient caves with still poolsand those little transparent fishwho have never seen even one ray of light.And the calm that returned to uswas not even our own.
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