Monday, April 05, 2010

Raffi Wartanian: Fireplace Talk

A smile can only stretch so far
Before the cheeks tire
And recall time
Submitted to circumstance
Hovering
Over my shoulder
Whispering in my ear
Petting my heart
With razor hands
Cajoling me that peace is but foolhardy
Misunderstanding rampant
Separated by unity (unified by separation)
Unified by separation (separated by unity)
Caught in comparative understandings
Ingrained
To allow oceans to flow
Into seas,
To flow into hearts,
Judging
Needing
Feeding greed
To be a former fantasy
Of a past self
Because there must be some sort of continuity
If one is to make sense of this existential narrative
That’s more fractured than glued together
More bewildering than comprehensible
So much so that we can sit cross-legged by a fire and pretend the warmth is real.

Bring the piano tuner.
Whispers have deafened my ears.
Flames have drowned my eyes.
Waves have shriveled my nose.
Blizzards have ignited my mouth.

By Raffi Wartanian
Amherst, New Hampshire, 12/2009

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