careful folly

only now, at this time,
in these moments between breaths,
when it is i, the slow fire burning,
only now, when i see myself
within this oblivion, this orchard
of potential triumph, when i can
fully encompass this solitude, this
grand melancholic longing,
the unforfeitable desire
to embrace the grey wind
and the green tears of this
ancient tapestry.

i am moved by certain ailments.
maybe it's love, or passion,
or careful folly...careless ambition.
i am trapped beneath this
falling sky and swelling soil,
the sea marching inland to wash
my soul, to memorize my blood
so i can navigate these foreboding waters.

i am in this epic tale of wandering,
wondering where these pages end,
bewildered by these feathered clouds,
astonished by this abundant
decay and renewal.

and now, in the small hours
of dying embers, i raise my wine
and kiss the dream, kiss
the imminent future,
dreaming of wine and women,
fruitful desire, empty bottles
and nothing else,
nothing but emptiness.