And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled
with him until the breaking of the day. When
the man saw that he did not prevail against
Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and
Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled
with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day
is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you
go, unless you bless me." And he said to him,
"What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."
Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be
called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven
with God and with men, and have
prevailed. . . ."
- Genesis 32.24
Ten enemies cannot harm a person as he can
harm himself.
- Mother
On Again St the chosen who've embraced fear
and wrestled themselves down are wrestling
someone else now and it's getting nasty,
but it doesn't matter, because once someone's
lost to himself,
he's lost.
And he gets mean, really
mean. He may appear kind, generous,
gregarious, but when someone's lost
to himself, he gets mean and stays mean
until his mouth clamps
shut.
Then he's dead, just like he was when he was
alive, ignoring the sky and experiencing
the earth one worm
at a time.
And there's no heaven for these dead.
If the soul is rigid when the body sloughs
away, how can it expect to flutter and play
among angels.
On AgainSt the lost learn to accommodate
despair, but their teeth are worn
down, I want someone else to pay or someone else's
wife and no one else to live
a bigger life.
That dirty little prophecy hit me once when
I wasn't looking.
I lost this tooth.
It doesn't matter; I can still recite.
There's only one contest, one worm and one
apple: If the heart begins to rot everything
follows;
and if the heart begins to replenish, everything
follows.
Again St [#20]
© 2004 Fammerée
* * * * *
Richard Fammerée
fammeree@att.net
director@universeofpoetry.org
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