XVII  THE STAR

To find the star you must take on
the universe within.
To reach the star you must invite
the universe within.

On the fiery bank
beneath the stars
calmly I pour
water
endlessly
        into the river.

Fortuna’s wheel
spins in the distance –
       a toy waterwheel
       in a narrow brook,
       caught up madly in itself.

Meanwhile life pours
into & out of
its many vessels:
       from horns to buckets,
       from buckets to streams.

My ideas become
       rivers
       flowing towards the sea,
       part of it, yet still distinct,
       like star-fire
       entering the tower.

Orange, like fire,
I become a salamander –
close to the ground, regenerating
limbs, crawling with serpent legs.

The grass on the bank
Is a soft green fire,
touching the swift cool water
       of the stream.
The bank is solid, & the air
       pours its stars on me.

I realize I
am the force
that unites these elements –

 I hide my clothes
& become the Star.

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