Elevator

the frames of this electronic door shone
as the bell rang
two discordant notes.

open [ ]
*going up*
people poured out
from the open
door and it was empty again.
I entered, pressed 23
and [>l<]. closed.
slowly, automatically...
the door seemed reluctant.
**please stand clear of the closing
door**
a hand appeared between the opening
just before the door
closed
completely, the hand forced
the door to open up. It revealed
a man in a dark suit
accompanied by five people,
his officemates perhaps.
They entered, rather noisily;
he pressed 17 and
[>l<].
the elevator opens
and accepts--then closes
**please stand clear of the closing
door**
closed.
I ascended, through this enclosure
pulled by taut cables. i am
moving towards the apex—
pulled against gravity
by electricity—strong wires
like the hands of time
unable to let go—
towards my destination:
twenty-third floor.

*seventeenth floor*
the elevator opens and lets go
then closes. i am left
to stand by the corner of the elevator.
**please stand clear of the closing
door**

*eighteenth floor*
[ ] open
two unnamed faces and Danielle join me
in this corner of the universe
as i ascend and defy
gravity, Danielle stands
beside me and shakes my hand.
meanwhile the other two girls talk
about how late they are
for work. they press 22
and [>l<]. **please stand clear of the closing
door**

Danielle and I talk about the weather, the traffic
and friends long lost or gone. I lean
on the wall to my left and watch
the screen display the floor number
we are passing by.

nineteen
showed the screen in yellow, up
we went without
stopping by.

*twentieth floor*
[ ] open...nobody's there. the elevator
is waiting
for someone to run in
and enter. we are waiting
for the door
to close. [>l<]
Danielle looked
at her watch uneasily.
"7:07 am Have a nice day!" shows
on the elevator screen.
**please stand clear
of the closing door**

*twenty-first floor*
pointed heels stabbed
the elevator floor as the two ladies
walked into the open
door and left me behind
with Danielle inside.
**please stand
clear of the closing
door**

Danielle walks towards the door
even before the
*twenty-second floor*
she took one last look
at her wrist watch
press [ ] hurriedly,
anxiously, stormed out of the elevator
in steps that could have sent the elevator back
to the ground floor. “see yah
whenever…” she remembered to take
a last glance at me before
the door closed. [>l<] **please
stand clear of
the closing door**

*twenty-third floor*
[ ] open door

here I am.
*please
i step out
stand
without a last glance—out
clear
into the twenty-third floor.
of the closing door*

Intro in E-minor

The crowd swells as empty
Chairs are filled up.
Sound
Technicians adjust the last
few dials, they turn
some more knobs.
Sound
Check. Sound
check. The spot
lights
are set, waiting
To explode and expose
He who makes music.

Meanwhile, the house lights burn
Bright as the crowd arrives
To fill the darkness
Of the concert hall.

At the edge
Of the platform, the guitar
Waits for the hands
That will take away its slumber
And bring it to the center
Of the multi-colored lights.

Its place is dark.

Meanwhile, the speakers sing
With melancholy
To fill the silence
Of the concert hall.

The chairs are full
Around the platform. Silence
Is about to be
defeated—
The amps, the mics,
The cables and wires,
The seats and the stands
Are all in place.

The house lights wane and
Black out completely.

Hush. A still lake. Shadows
move on the platform.
Plugged. The guitar stirs.
A single spotlight waxes bright.
A hand moves down.
A strum.
A sound splashes on the still lake
as the guitar and its master and
The horde of sounds behind them

Begin

To break the silence.

Supernova

From red to yellow
Life jump-started.
From white to blue
Heat and light spread
Fire burned within me.

And now
A fireworks display!

My life erupted
In a thousand sparks.
The multi-colored sparks surged forward, shattered
As broken stained glass.
Light-years fast, they still travel
Through my universe.
To light up the dark
Alleys of the universe.
**
Midnight on the darkside of the planet earth.
Thousands of eyes
look skyward tonight
To behold the remains
Of a life snuffed out.

Moving to Our Tenth House in Twenty Years

Heavy boxes slide on the floor—
essential things accumulated over
the years. Empty now
are the shelves, lockers and cabinets.

Two years—
of filling this space—of people living
in this seeming fortress near the church
with broken bell tower.

The weeds are tall around
the house—taller than the weeds
that litter the yard of the church
with the broken bell tower.

The plants sit quiet in front of the parsonage—
patiently,
they endured the sun, they reveled
when drenched
by the waters
from the sky, enjoyed the kisses
of the dew. Now
they shall be moved:
Moved
to a place they never knew.
The colors leave
this house today.

Rooted,
how can the trees be moved? They refuse
to leave though they want to. They cannot
unless they are cut
down to the roots.

Cabinets and chairs, the washing machine and the fridge,
the tables and racks, dividers—all
lined up on the lawn, waiting
impatiently for yet another moving—
and this is not the final one—
just a part of a tired routine,
endless moving, never setting
down on a single place for a long time.

It goes on, we move,
we arrive, only to move
again and again to another place. Today we shall arrive
to another house—
beside a church—
never our own.