subtext

• •

only now

he walks through his life

with a string of nows

hanging from his neck


most days slip away

from dawn to dusk

without distinction


yet some he can see

with a clarity

which is unmoving


with a cold silence

which strips away time

like a broken tomb


the past and future

vanish and the now

opens around him


like a white lotus

rising from the palm

of his outstretched hand

(November 12, 2023)