Memories of Memorial

Take a deep breath in, hold it, release:
I am falling, falling betwixt the wolds that

Clove the lilac thunder; falling beyond the
Crucible, howling banshees on the main; falling

Through the meadows and the waning of
The aster, falling through the cataclysm, wayward

Zones bereft of light. Take a deep breath in, hold it,
Release: I am fading, fading over the harrowing

Impenetrable whiteness, the shattered glass bursting,
A mind in flames; fading beyond the mask,

The eye of undrawn cannibals, fading through the pall
Whereof the ravens cry. Take a deep breath in,

Hold it, release: I am drowning, drowning across
The caraway, the tarn of dappled waters,

Drowning was the CAT scan cascading in the
Rain; drowning beyond the cyclops, a

Wasteland without memory, drowning was
The brook duly born of a windswept isle,

The demon and the rider, weeping
Rivers without stars. The glimmering

Cross, the burning steppe, over the
Valley lay bones unwept, yet the

Bones bequeath the soul and the
Soul sings onwards toward eternity.

David Penner has taught English and ESL within the City University of New York and at Fordham. His articles on politics and health care have appeared in CounterPunch, Dissident Voice, Dr. Linda and KevinMD; while his poetry has been published with Dissident Voice. Also a photographer, he is the author of three books: Faces of Manhattan Island, Faces of The New Economy, and Manhattan Pairs. He can be reached at: 321davidadam@gmail. Read other articles by David.