"abba poemon said, 'even if a man were to make a
new heaven and earth, he could not live free of care'" *
holding fast
to the handle over
creaking restraints -- heaving
upward just for thrill of
coming back down to earth
in one weightless moment
detached from clenched knuckles
a quiet place, gaze through
disembodied blue shades
for stillness in falling
before bodies snap back
standing dizzy, taking
heavy steps
* The Desert Fathers, 173
new heaven and earth, he could not live free of care'" *
holding fast
to the handle over
creaking restraints -- heaving
upward just for thrill of
coming back down to earth
in one weightless moment
detached from clenched knuckles
a quiet place, gaze through
disembodied blue shades
for stillness in falling
before bodies snap back
standing dizzy, taking
heavy steps
* The Desert Fathers, 173
Henry D. Brown is a poet and junior Religion major/Spanish minor at Carleton College, where he co-chairs the Democratic Socialists of America. He co-edits Dreams Walking, a literary webzine. His poetry is recent or upcoming in publications including Kingdoms in the Wild, After the Pause, Giallo, Cypress, and Neologism.